Official Press Release
New England Musicians Relief Fund Launches Immediate Relief Campaign to Help Struggling Artists Due to COVID-19
Independent and Freelance Musicians Hit Hard From Cancellation of Live Performances
Boston, MA- July 21, 2020 A new Boston-based philanthropy, New England Musicians Relief Fund (NEMRF), today announced it is launching a fundraising campaign—Immediate Relief—aimed at providing funds to support local musicians suffering from the shutdown of the music industry due to COVID-19.
“I was initially in “fight or flight” mode, not really sure of what was happening or what was going to happen,” said legendary Berkshire-area vocalist, Wanda Houston.
“Call after call came in of cancellations. If it weren’t for the help of friends and family, I could not have made it through this time. Now we’re facing a winter of no work and no income, possibly longer. I’m very concerned,” she said.
The New England Musicians Relief Fund was founded in 2020 as an independent non-profit philanthropy dedicated to providing financial assistance and resources for musicians experiencing unexpected or catastrophic income loss. With the help of the Boston Arts and Business Council, NEMRF is in the process of incorporating as a nonprofit.
“Many musicians live life on the financial edge,” said Hazel Davis, a horn player and one of the founders of NEMRF. “None of us foresaw the shutdown coming, and for many, this is financially devastating. Our initial goal is to weather this pandemic and bring musical vibrancy back to our communities. In the long term, we hope to build a relief fund endowment as a safety net for the artists who make this vibrancy possible.”
NEMRF’s Immediate Relief fundraising campaign is the result of a partnership between the Fund and Sweet Relief, the nationwide musicians’ relief organization founded by touring musicians in 1994. Funds generated through NEMRF’s Sweet Relief COVID-19 campaign https://sweetrelief.nemrf.org will funnel directly to New England-based professional musicians affected by the COVID-19 shutdown, paying towards their medical expenses, lodging, utilities, food and other vital living expenses. The Fund aims to help musicians from every musical genre and career stage: from the classical cellist to the blues singer, from the 40-year veteran -- to the young star searching for a breakthrough.
The COVID-19 global pandemic has created acute financial distress for the thousands of musicians who make their living playing music in New England. Freelance musicians fill every stage, theater, club, and pit in New England. Due to the “gig” nature of freelance work, when the halls went dark on March 13, freelancers were left—overnight—with no regular income, few benefits, and for many, no qualified unemployment insurance, even under the emergency CARES Act.
Katherine Winterstein, a violinist/concertmaster of many of New England’s finest orchestras writes, “For me the worst part is the uncertainty of our future. I feel like I’m in an endurance test of indeterminate length, and that is quite a hard thing to pace. If I were running, I’d know my pace for 3 miles, or for 12, but in this pandemic, I don’t know what distance we’re going, or whether I should just quit running and start swimming (or coding or nursing or something altogether else to survive).”
Boston Pops Conductor Keith Lockhart summed it up in a letter to the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra: “All of you are characterized, not only by your tremendous artistry, but by your enthusiasm for and commitment to everything the Boston Pops asks of you. Now we sit here, idled and frustrated, and wondering if and when all those opportunities we took for granted will return.”
People wishing to make a tax-deductible donation to the Immediate Relief Fund may do so at https://sweetrelief.nemrf.org.
Musicians can find the online application for the Immediate Relief campaign funds here: COVID-19 Fund - Sweet Relief
Visit: www.nemrf.org to keep up with NEMRF’s latest initiatives. Follow us on twitter and facebook.
Media Contact
Marissa Bias
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