WHAT IS PROTESTRA?
PROTESTRA (protest + orchestra) is an activist orchestra and 501(c)(3) public charity that bridges the divide between advocacy and classical music. Our grassroots orchestral benefit concerts inspire activism by contextualizing classical music performance through multimedia education. Our activism doesn’t end at the concert hall door: We turn ticket proceeds and audience donations into targeted support for mission- and policy-driven groups related to our concerts' themes.
PROTESTRA is more than an orchestra: We are a growing community of musicians who care deeply about the issues that affect our daily lives, and who want to use our platform and art to address those issues. We believe music reaches and impacts more people when it is connected to an important cause or watershed moment, and when it is performed with the intention of making the world a better, more just place for everyone.
HOW & WHY WE STARTED PROTESTRA
Music can be a powerful vehicle for social awareness and action, but historically, classical music as an institution has been noticeably silent on matters of social justice, including racism, gender discrimination, and systemic erasure and exclusion. Although there has been notable progress on this front over the last several decades, these issues remain stubbornly prevalent in major orchestras to this day. PROTESTRA’s new vision for classical music prioritizes diversity, equity, inclusion, representation, and belonging in both our hiring and programming practices.
PROTESTRA began in 2017 as a direct response to Executive Order 13769, also known as the "Muslim Ban." Our first concert, #NoBan, musically centered around the positive impact immigration has made on American society and raised over $3,000 for nonprofits that provide aid to immigrants and refugees.
Following our initial success, our founders saw the ongoing need for an orchestral ensemble that actively addresses real-world problems and realized that PROTESTRA was in the unique position to fill that void. We founded PROTESTRA with the goal of speaking out, taking action against injustice, and calling in others to join us in this important work.
WHAT DOES PROTESTRA DO?
PROTESTRA's mission is to highlight important social justice issues through the lens of classical music. We do so by:
Organizing and performing orchestral benefit concerts that educate our audiences about these issues.
Providing a forum for discussing these issues and empowering musicians to stand up for what they believe in.
Raising funds for charities and activist organizations focused on tackling the issues we highlight and advancing social justice.
Advocating for and exemplifying greater diversity and inclusivity in the classical music industry through our musical programming, hiring practices, and organizational culture.
Since September 2020, PROTESTRA has held eight issue-centered benefit concerts that reached several thousand in-person and online audience members, raised over $28,000 in audience donations for nonprofit beneficiaries, and provided over $25,000 of paid work to 250+ musicians.
To learn more about PROTESTRA’s recent projects, visit our website and use the icons at the bottom of this page to follow us on social media.
WHAT WE HOPE TO DO & WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP
PROTESTRA is rapidly becoming a recognized thought leader at the intersection of classical music and advocacy. We strive to demonstrate to other orchestras that with intentionality, courage, and compassion, classical music and advocacy can be one and the same. Our driving goal is to become the model of what a 21st-century orchestra looks like and transform the classical music industry one concert at a time.
With your financial support, we can hold orchestral benefit concerts that respond to current events and educate audiences about a variety of social issues. Your tax-deductible contributions will help us produce our community-minded concerts, program works by historically underrepresented composers, compensate our performers, and make the classical music industry an open, welcoming place for musicians and listeners from all walks of life.
Donate to PROTESTRA and join us in uplifting musicians, advocating for important causes, and ensuring the future of classical music. Thank you — your support is instrumental 🎻
Interested in becoming a sustaining donor? Click here to learn more about our Monthly Membership program!