Eastern Music Festival (EMF), Greensboro’s nationally recognized classical music festival and summer educational program hosted on the historic Guilford College campus, concluded a successful 62nd season of an awe-inspiring of music making.
This season, EMFs performances and events reached more than 13,000 people in the Greensboro community and beyond, an increase of 25% over 2022. The festival offered 60+ performances and activities including master classes, chamber recitals, Young Artists recitals, pre-concert lectures, and more reaching many audiences in the Triad community. EMF also presented upwards of 40 free community outreach performances throughout Greensboro with various local organizations, extending the reach of EMF well beyond the Guilford College campus. This success was possible due to the overwhelmingly positive support from individual contributors, philanthropic organizations, corporations, and in-kind donors.
In 2023, the festival was proud to host a record-setting 283 students from 35 states and 15 countries including Taiwan, Albania, South Korea, Brazil, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Estonia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uzbekistan. States with the most prominent representation included Florida, Texas, New York, and 23 from the festival’s home state, North Carolina.
Upon reflection of the season, EMF’s Director of Education, Melissa Edwards exclaimed, “with a record number of students in attendance this year, the depth of talent was astounding, the performances were exhilarating, and the excitement was evident in the faces of all the performers. This summer was nothing short of amazing.”
Support from the many donors and partnering organizations allowed EMF to provide more than $360,000 in scholarships to deserving and talented students this year. Of the 283 participants, more than 80% received scholarships.
With the festival’s mission of promoting musical excellence and collaboration, EMF performed over 30works by living composers including Caroline Shaw, Paul Frucht, Jessie Montgomery, and more to encourage a broad range musical experiences for the students. These compositions were performed by the Eastern Festival Orchestra, student and faculty chamber groups, the percussion studio, and the two-week Euphonium-Tuba Institute and Classical Guitar Summit programs.
Eastern Music Festival is deeply grateful to the following businesses, corporations, and foundations who partnered with us in 2023. They offered an array of support including programmatic sponsorship and general operating support, in-kind support, and season media sponsorship for the 2023 season: 88.5 WFDD, 89.7 WCPE, Action Greensboro, Appalachian State University, Audioggi LLC, Brooks Pierce, City of Greensboro, Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro, Creative Greensboro, Cultural Voice of North Carolina, DMJPS, Green Valley Grill, Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau, Greensboro News & Record, Greensboro Opera, Greensboro Public Libraries, Greensboro Rotary, Guilford College, Lewis & Elm, McMillion Capital Management, Moore Music Company, National Endowment for the Arts, North Carolina Arts Council, O.Henry Magazine, Our State Magazine, PBS North Carolina, Pennybyrn, Pest Management Systems Inc., Piedmont Opera, Pinnacle Bank, Quaintance-Weaver Restaurants & Hotels, Reto’s Kitchen, Rhyme and Reason, Steinway Piano Gallery, Summit Rotary Club of Greensboro, Temple Emanuel, The Arts Council of Greater Greensboro, The Cemala Foundation, The Music Academy of NC, The Printery, The Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation Inc., The Tuba Exchange, Thompson Traders, Triad City Beat, Triad Stage, Triangle Media, WDAV, Well-Spring, Winston-Salem Symphony, WUNC, and Yes! Weekly.
EMF also thanks the following local organizations for hosting outreach events during the 2023 season and throughout the year: Abbotswood at Irving Park, Friends Home at Guilford, Friends Home West, Green Hill Center for NC Art, Greensboro Children’s Museum, Greensboro Grasshoppers, Greensboro Rotary, Heritage Greens, Jerusalem Market on Elm, Jewish Family Services, Little Brother Brewing, Moore Music Company, Northern Roots Coffeehouse, Scuppernong Books, Steinway Piano Gallery, SouthEnd Brewing Company, Temple Emanuel, The Bearded Goat, TerraBella Senior Living, Transform GSO, Triad Stage, Well-Spring, West Market Street United Methodist Church, and Starmount Presbyterian Church.
The recently concluded 62nd season ended on July 29, 2023, and planning is already underway for the 63rd season which will take place June 22 – July 27, 2024.