Philadelphia, PA—The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation has selected Sister Cities Girlchoir (SCG) as the winner of the 2018 George Bartol Arts Education Award. The Award is given to an organization that provides sustained, meaningful exposure and participation in the arts; that demonstrates an active engagement in the lives of its students and community; and that maintains high artistic standards for its faculty and students.
The George Bartol Arts Education Award was established in 2001 to recognize outstanding arts education programs by a non-profit cultural organization. Each year, a grant of $5,000 is made in memory of George Bartol, founder of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation, who believed that the key to a thriving arts community was an investment in arts education for its children. As part of its annual grant review process, the Foundation designates one grantee to receive this additional award of $5,000 to further support its arts education programs. This year’s award is made possible in part through gifts from Mr. Bartol’s children.
Beth Feldman Brandt, Executive Director of the Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation says, “With the vision and energy of its founder, Alysia Lee, Sister Cities Girlchoir is fully committed to helping girls achieve their potential by helping them to literally and figuratively raise their voices. We are grateful to be able to support such inspiring work.” Click here to view a video showcasing Sister Cities Girlchoir and to learn more about The George Bartol Award.
“Sister Cities is built on the premise that artists are vital to communities and that every young girl deserves access to all that the arts can teach. We are proud of the teaching artist team at SCG which embodies our mission to share the power of the arts to transform young women into not just artists, but leaders,” said Ms. Lee. “We are grateful to be recognized for this work by the George Bartol Arts Education Award.”
The list of past award winners is available here.
About Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation
The Stockton Rush Bartol Foundation works at the intersection of arts, education, community and philanthropy, grounded in our belief that deeply meaningful arts experiences strengthen people and communities. The Bartol Foundation advocates for and facilitates partnerships in which cultural organizations, teaching artists, community partners, and funders work toward the common goal of providing high-caliber, equitable arts education to people in Philadelphia, especially those in the most under-resourced or under-served communities. We utilize our knowledge and resources to create to generate more resources and opportunities for all.
Sister Cities Girlchoir (SCG) empowers girls by building resilience, leadership, mastery and connection through a comprehensive choral training academy that invests in the unique potential of girls to improve our world. The program is research-based, and uses music as a girl empowerment tool. SCG is modeled on the powerful impact that investments in the lives of girls make for a city block, a neighborhood, a city....for the world.SCG is modeled after El Sistema, Venezuela's music education program that is transforming lives and communities around the world. SCG Founder, Alysia Lee spent a year studying El Sistema and visiting programs in Venezuela and throughout the U.S. through the Sistema Fellowship at the New England Conservatory.