Diversity Initiative Announced At Cleveland Institute Of Music

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) unveiled a new faculty fellowship program to elevate Black and Latinx music professionals.

The Future of Music Faculty Fellowship is a career development initiative that will engage up to 35 Black and Latinx musicians who are considering academic careers. Fellowships will be awarded through a competitive application process.

“The Future of Music Faculty Fellowship has bold ambitions: to catalyze change within our institutions now and for years to come,” said CIM President and CEO Paul W. Hogle. “Educators have a profound influence on students and on discourse."

The program will be open to musicians and scholars across disciplines and genres, from classical to jazz, from performance to pedagogy. The fellowships will begin in June 2021 and continue for several months. The program will conclude in January 2022.

The fellowship program will cover practical skills, like navigating the tenure process, and soft skills, like working in a highly competitive environment.

Program faculty participating in the program will include university presidents, music school deans, experienced faculty, teaching artists, and performance psychologists from institutions ranging from The Juilliard School to the University of Richmond to the Heifetz Institute.

“CIM is a proven and authentic leader in creating opportunities for musicians of color. We hope that the Future of Music Faculty Fellowship will spark important dialogue, motivate action, elevate musicians of color into tenured professorships and ultimately accelerate positive change," said Afa Dworkin, president and artistic director of the Sphinx Organization, which is powering the fellowship program.

A free virtual information session on the program will be held Saturday, from 12:15 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. Applications are due by May 1, 2021; access the application and additional program information at cim.edu/fellowship.