Arts grant helps Lumedia Musicworks thrive during pandemic

At a time when arts-focused organizations across Texas struggle to fulfill their missions during the pandemic, Lumedia Musicworks is leveraging a $3,500 resiliency grant from The Arts Community Alliance (TACA) to enhance its virtual performances.

The nonprofit performance organization committed to showcasing and performing early music – typically music before 1750 – plans to fund professional videography support and commission an up-and-coming composer and early music specialists to perform virtually in Spring 2021.

“TACA’s grant and support make it possible for Lumedia to program inventively and provide a platform for early musicians of color both locally and around the world,” said Julianna Emanski, Lumedia’s artistic director.

Lumedia artists reside across the state, but many of them are from the Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth areas. They perform on historical reproductions of instruments from the baroque, renaissance and medieval periods, at historical pitch. Lumedia’s core team is highly trained in historically informed performance practices.

Lumedia moved the entirety of its 2020-21 season online due to COVID-19 concerns. Frisco-resident Emanski said a good videographer is more important than ever this year.

“The videographer plays a huge part in the virtual concert atmosphere, creating a visually beautiful experience for those who attend our concerts,” she said.

The grant also enables Lumedia to commission Mason Bynes, an African American composer, vocalist and multimedia artist from Sugar Land, to compose three new works for a February Spotlight concert “Re-Imagining Dowland,” featuring soprano Eliza Smith of Lewisville. Lumedia’s Spotlight concerts feature individual artists in striking locations across Texas, while state-of-the-art technology creates a variety of virtual concert hall destinations with multiple cameras and high-quality audio.

Lumedia also will use TACA funds to support four guest artists as they deliver Four-Course Concerts throughout the month of February. The 30-minute concerts offered at no charge feature American musicians around the world who specialize in early music.

The artists include Justin Bland of Copenhagen, Denmark; Yvonne Smith of Houston; Patrick Dailey of Nashville, Tenn.; and Anyango Yarbo-Davenport of Bogota, Columbia.

TACA Resiliency Grants are part of a focused effort by the alliance to support and strengthen Dallas arts and cultural organizations in response to the current landscape. Merit-based and unrestricted, the grants replaced several of TACA’s traditional funding programs in 2020.

TACA has provided support for Lumedia since early 2018 – six months after the organization’s launch.

For a full schedule of Lumedia’s performances, visit www.lumediaworks.com/seasonLumedia.