The Floyd J. McCree Theatre has been selected to move to the next round in the selection process for the Levitt Amp (Your City) Outdoor Free Music Series $25,000 matching grant. The Levitt Amp awards are sponsored by the Mortimer and Mimi Levitt Foundation to share their passion and love of music with the country, and to strengthen the social fabric of America through the power of free, live music.
This particular grant is geared specifically for small and mid-size cities in the United States. According to the Levitt Amp webpage, “the joy of free, live music is bringing communities together in small and mid-sized towns and cities across America. Flint’s application, via McCree Theatre, proposes to produce a series of 10 concerts on the southeast lawn of The New Standard Academy campus, the building in which McCree Theatre is housed, from May – July 2019.
The next round in the competitive process involves online voting. This phase will reduce the number of hopefuls to 25 cities. The Levitt Amp selection committee will then determine 15 finalists based on a number of criteria, including: the characteristics of the public space the free concert series is to be presented—preference will be given to spaces that are easily accessible to a range of socioeconomic groups; a programming philosophy that is inclusive, family friendly, and represents a wide range of music genres; outreach strategies that are inclusive of all members of the community; and a proven track record of presenting professional quality concerts or community events, or partnering with an individual or organization that has done so.
“McCree Theatre meets or exceeds all of those criteria,” said Charles H. Winfrey, executive director of the theatre. “So the number of online votes we get is crucial. I’d love to be able to entertain the residents of our city with something this awesome,” he said.
Voting will begin November 1. In order to vote to bring the Levitt Amp Free Music Series to Flint, go to the following link on your cell phone, Ipad, laptop or desktop computer: https://grant.levittamp.org/voter-registration-page/. You will see the image representing Flint that accompanies this article.
