STRATHMORE HALL FOUNDATION INC

Strathmore's vision is to create transcendent moments that ignite the human spirit. Our mission/purpose is to present and produce exemplary visual and performing arts programs for diverse audiences; create dynamic arts education experiences; and nurture creative ideas and conversations that advance the future of the arts.

To accomplish our mission and strive toward our vision, Strathmore remains devoted to artistic excellence, connected to community, dedicated to education, committed to our patrons, and invested in our team.

Artistic offerings presented in the Music Center at Strathmore include world-class performances by major national and international artists of jazz, blues, folk, rock, pop, world music, show tunes, dance, and classical music. Our free summer concert series welcomes thousands of people to enjoy music and food outdoors. The Mansion at Strathmore is home to more intimate artistic programs presented in the 100-seat Dorothy M. and Maurice C. Shapiro Music Room. The popular Music in the Mansion series includes chamber and jazz groups, a wide range of solo artists, and special performances curated in conversation with the art on display. Year-round art exhibitions are presented in the Mansion and are always free to the public. Tea is served in the Music Room twice a week and features local musicians in an informal yet refined atmosphere. AMP by Strathmore features gourmet dining alongside rock, blues, jazz, folk, R&B, go-go, comedy, and other genres of performance.

Through a vibrant Artist in Residence program, Maryland Classic Youth Orchestras, and the Strathmore Children’s Chorus, Strathmore stewards the artistic and professional development of more than 800 young, aspiring artists each year.

Through our Bloom initiative, Strathmore expands access to the arts in communities throughout Montgomery County. By bringing free programs (developed with members of these communities) directly into schools and neighborhoods, we eliminate the access barriers of cost and transportation, and provide engaging experiences in the places where people live, work, and go to school. In partnership with Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), Strathmore hosts curriculum-enriched performances for every second and fifth grader attending the 135 public elementary schools in the county, as well as in-school, hands-on arts education programs for elementary, middle, and high school students. Strathmore provides free arts programs to over 28,000 MCPS students every year through programs that include East County Strings, Think Big Café, Step Up East County, Spring Break Camp, Sing Out, and Latin Strings and Percussion. Strathmore continues to collaborate with MCPS to grow existing programs and develop new ones, always in response to what the schools say that they want and need, and in connection with curricular outlines and strategies. In 2019, Strathmore was named Montgomery County Public Schools Partner Champion of the Year, recognizing the long-standing partnership between Strathmore and the school system, number of students and families impacted, resources invested, and future programs and plans.

In 2020, Strathmore is working closely with MCPS Coordinator of Choral and General Music to provide a robust resource library for music instructors as well as collaborating on ways to brings arts programs to students virtually during the continued time of distance learning.

For the first two-thirds of Strathmore’s 2019-2020 season, the Concert Hall averaged 87% capacity, highlights of which included sold-out performances by India.Arie, Sergio Mendes, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Sinbad, Juan de Marcos & The Afro-Cuban All Stars, Drum Tao, Academy of St Martin in the Fields with Joshua Bell, and three nights of our annual holiday presentation of The Hip Hop Nutcracker. We continued our successful “Windows” series, which brings distinctive voices to the Concert Hall stage, with engagements that included Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE with Arturo O’Farrill Ensemble, Bereishit Dance Company, and Manual Cinema’s “No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks.” Each of these performances was preceded by a free panel discussion, carefully curated to help contextualize the work for audience members and spark enriching post-concert discussions organized in our café.

Strathmore has a long history, as both a presenter and partner, with Step Afrika!, the world’s first professional company dedicated to the tradition of stepping. In recognition of this history and in keeping with our pursuit of supporting distinctive work, in 2019 Strathmore contributed financial support as a commissioning partner for “Drumfolk,” the company’s newest original work. As a co-commissioner, Strathmore supported the expenses associated with the creation and rehearsal process necessary for the development of the new repertoire. In January 2020, an excerpt of “Drumfolk” was performed in the Concert Hall as part of Step Afrika!’s annual Strathmore performance.

Other season highlights included:
- Our fall art exhibition, Timber, featured creative woodwork by 30 artists from across the country, inviting viewers to engage with the creative ways this natural resource can be used as an artistic medium.
-Popular education series Arts and the Brain returned, presenting four lectures at AMP that explored how the arts impact aging and vitality.
-Strathmore added to its Sensory-Friendly programming by offering Backstage Tours designed to introduce people to the inner-workings of the Concert Hall so that they may more comfortably enjoy live music experiences.
-Strathmore provided musicians for National Night Out, Burtonsville Day, and Wheaton Arts Parade and Festival – three popular summer events in Montgomery County.

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Strathmore has pivoted many programs to virtual platforms and is offering limited in-person opportunities on campus, all within CDC, federal, state, and local guidelines for health and safety. In fall 2020, Strathmore is presenting “Monuments: Creative Forces,” a campus-wide outdoor art installation by Australian artist Craig Walsh that features moving, dimensional video portraits of artists whose work and artistic endeavors are changing the shape of our community in profound ways. “Monuments” redefines traditional expectations of public monuments and the selective history represented in our civic spaces.