Wisconsin Public Radio has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the nonprofit Love Always Foundation to expand its annual Classical Music Day, which began in 2024 in Milwaukee as a locally broadcast live radio event featuring the Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra.
WPR calls Classical Music Day “a collaborative program that engages youth and communities through live music, public engagement and cultural learning by bringing together student musicians from schools, youth ensembles and community organizations to perform in professional concert settings.”
The foundation’s funding will allow WPR to grow the initiative — with the goal of amplifying student voices to audiences throughout the state — adding its regional bureaus in Green Bay, La Crosse, Madison, Eau Claire, Superior and Wausau to join Milwaukee in hosting a Classical Music Day event in partnership with local educators and arts organizations to celebrate the next generation of musical artists from communities all over Wisconsin.
According to a Wisconsin Broadcasters Association news release, “all Classical Music Day events will be free and open to the public, ensuring that cost is not a barrier for students, families or community members. while expanding community access to high-quality performing arts experiences in geographically dispersed communities. Each regional event will be developed in collaboration with educators, arts organizations and community groups, ensuring that programming reflects the uniqueness of local arts communities and strengthens existing arts ecosystems by bringing together student performers, families, educators and community members in shared public spaces.”
As part of the event, middle and high school students will be invited to attend a pre-performance presentation by an artist from PBS Wisconsin Education’s “Re/sound: Songs of Wisconsin” multimedia collection to explore the state’s diverse musical traditions through artist stories and curriculum-aligned resources, with take-home educational materials provided to deepen understanding of how music reflects cultural identity, history and community experience.
WBA’s release also notes that WPR will also provide transportation stipends and reserved seating for school groups and youth-serving organizations, with stipends also provided to student performers and partner organizations “to ensure that youth from a wide range of communities can participate, regardless of distance or available resources.”