PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — A local business owner had the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Shana Pistilli, the owner and founder of the Rubato School of Music, won the 2026 MLB and Mastercard Small Business Contest on Friday.<\/p>\n
Pistilli was selected from 119 applicants to get the grand prize of a $10,000 small business grant and the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.<\/p>\n
This weekend, Pistilli was busy preparing for the big moment.<\/p>\n
“I want to throw far enough. I want to make it over the plate,” she told Action News before the first pitch on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Pistilli founded her music school with the goal of giving children of all abilities access to music.<\/p>\n
Rose Olesen, the manager at the school, said, “It gives access to musical experiences and education to neurodiverse populations, which, unfortunately, the music world and industry is very not inclusive to people who aren’t neurotypical.”<\/p>\n
Pistilli said this grant, plus the awareness generated by the first pitch, is monumental for her business.<\/p>\n
“The whole thing is really cool. The grant money is great. But the visibility that will come from this and the amount of people we’ll be able to reach.”<\/p>\n
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