SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE

Celebrating Fort Worth’s resilience and designed to spark communal reflection, hope, and change, innovative funding initiative helps get city’s musicians back into the studio and up on the stage.

Image credit: Sunflowerman, “Abraham Alexander Debut EP Cover,” Digital painting, 2019

Image credit: Sunflowerman, “Abraham Alexander Debut EP Cover,” Digital painting, 2019

FORT WORTH, TX – In light of the impact of current world issues on Fort Worth’s musicians, Fine Line Group, the Family office of Sasha and Edward P. Bass, announced the launch of SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE. The second in a series of competitive grant programs designed to help get Fort Worth’s arts community back to work. This $100,000 initiative challenges area musicians to compose works about resilience to fuel the city’s creative economy and to help drive community healing and positive change.

Led by the Fine Line Group, with support from the Alice L. Walton Foundation, and the Tartaglino Richards Family Foundation, SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE will provide highly focused financial support to 41 talented musicians whose work brings the Fort Worth community together to reflect on their recent experiences in the world and to begin driving change and healing through music.

“Music is part of Fort Worth’s soul. By putting this city’s stories into song, artists have the power to help our community process and heal from the unprecedented events we have all watched unfold over the last several months. As our city battles a pandemic and reckons with the legacy of prejudice, SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE delivers not just highly-focused financial support to Fort Worth-area musicians, but also, helps to create an audio record of our town’s unique perspective on all that has occurred, and all that we hope to see in the future,” said program founders Sasha and Ed Bass.

“SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE is built on a model we implemented with ‘The New Normal: An Artist’s Response to COVID-19,’” continued Mrs. Sasha Bass. “Within hours of launching that program, submissions from our city’s most talented artists poured in. The need for a program like this was clear. Visual art is but one segment of our city’s creative economy, there are so many powerful and accessible mediums through which our experiences in history are recorded. We knew music would be next.”

Mrs. Sasha Bass and Lauren Saba Childs, program administrator and founder of Gallery of Dreams, approached one of Fort Worth’s leading singer/songwriters, Abraham Alexander, to brainstorm how the model could be adapted to help the city’s musicians. “Moving forward at this unprecedented and challenging time is about so much more than just finding work. It’s about reviving the spirit and soul so we can make music again. This model does both, and that’s what makes it so powerful,” said Mr. Alexander. In partnership with Mrs. Sasha Bass and Ms. Childs, Mr. Alexander helped bring SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE to life.

“This program is a lifeline for the musicians of our city. It’s a life vest for the dreams our musicians are fighting to keep afloat in the midst of two life-threatening viruses – one new, and the other – systemic racism – an old and deadly plague,” continued Mr. Alexander. “SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE makes it possible for them to focus on doing what they do best – creating. Musicians will not have to worry about their next bill or what equipment they will need to sell in order to put food on the table. It makes me proud of our city and honored to know its citizens. Individuals from all walks of life are coming together around this program. SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE will rekindle hope, fuel collaboration, and change the fabric of our music scene for the better.”

Applicants are asked to create and submit a unique live performance video of two original songs, in a format similar to a “Tiny Desk” submission, along with a personal statement about their experience in the pandemic and the role their music will play in drawing people together around the theme of resilience. The full application is available at soundsofresilience.com. There is no fee to apply.

A panel of six of Fort Worth’s music industry leaders will manage the selection process, awarding $2,000 grants to 35 musicians, and $5,000 grants to the top 6 strongest applicants. Panelists will pair these 6 musicians together to create and produce an original, and inspired song about resilience, which will be recorded live at Fort Worth landmark, Bass Hall.

SOUNDS OF RESILIENCE is administered by Gallery of Dreams, a Fort Worth nonprofit arts organization established by Lauren Saba Childs of Fort Works Art.

 

Selection Panel

Abraham Alexander
Musician

T Bone Burnett
Musician, Songwriter, and Producer

Troy Campbell
Founder and Creative Director, The House of Songs

Rosana Eckert
Vocalist and Principal Lecturer, Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas

Miguel Harth-Bedoya
Chief Conductor and Music Director, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Amy Miller
Program Director and Host of The Local Show, KXT

Project Goals

  • To create a sense of support and stability for the musicians and their families.

  • To bring about healing and connection within the Fort Worth community.

  • To support and encourage musicians to continue making music during this time.

  • To challenge other cities to develop focused programs within their own communities.

  • To show the nation what focused community support can create within the city.

Benefits For Musicians

  • Musicians will receive immediate funding to support themselves and return to work.

  • Musicians will have an opportunity to have their work in front of major industry leaders.

  • Musicians will be promoted and marketed through digital platforms and online marketing.

  • The winners will perform a recorded performance on the stage of BASS HALL.

Benefits To Our City

  • This is an opportunity to bring about healing and support in our community.

  • Illustrates on a national level a new and innovative structure for musicians through local patronage.

  • Providing a means for musicians to advocate and form alliances with residents and organizations in our city.

  • Music by the people of Fort Worth, for the people of Fort Worth.

 

Selected Musicians

Brian Kieta, Milton Pace, Summer Dean, Juan Ospina, Ginny Mac, Jeremiah Miller, Claire Shannon, Court Hoang, Jakob Robertson, Jewell Kelly, Lorenzo Zenteno, Matthew McNeal, Rachella Parks-Washington, Grady Spencer, Joe Savage, Kevin Townson, LJ Wilson, Luis Palacios, Hope Wentz, Jake Rodriguez, Kris Williams, Wade Johnson, Averi Burk, Ben Archey, Brandon Burnett, Jason Heilman, Nate LaDale Young, Simone Nicole, Burette and Gabby Douglas, Jeff Dazey, Keegan McInroe, Pennie Painter, Ronnie Heart, Simon Flory, Wayne Floyd, Eddie Esler, Joseph Neville, Brad Thompson, Jim Milan, Steve Nichols