Hey everyone! This is musicovation co-founder Zach Preucil writing to commemorate the two-year anniversary of our site going live! Liz Erenberg is currently touring China with the Denver Philharmonic, but I’m feeling her positive vibes as we celebrate another year of promoting so many incredible people in our industry. Here are some of the many memorable highlights:

Musicians Harness Technology: This year has seen the emergence of new online services geared specifically towards musicians, such as Brett Walfish’s MusicaMatch app and the HireNotes gig service developed by Shaheen Lavie-Rouse and Alex Barstow. Meanwhile, tech-savvy teachers such as Rob McManmon are seriously exploring the benefits of skype teaching.

Orchestral Outreach: Forward-thinking orchestras have continued to demonstrate their cultural relevance through changes in concert presentation, education, and outreach. Our orchestral features included the Houston Symphony’s Community-Embedded Musicians Initiative, the New Bedford Symphony’s mission to connect classical music with the arts and sciences in public schools, and The Orchestra NOW, an orchestral training program of Bard College. Meanwhile, other ensembles have emerged with the goal of promoting a specific genre or community of musicians, such as the Earth and Air String Orchestra, the Empire Film Music Ensemble, and the Refugee Orchestra Project. 

Rise of the Regulars: We’ve been privileged to have some very talented writers contribute multiple posts to us throughout the year! These have included author Jason M. Rubin’s uniquely insightful articles on a wide variety of musical topics; “Contrabass Conversations” host Jason Heath’s take on teaching, freelancing, and summer festivals; therapist Dana Fonteneau’s posts about her one-of-a-kind “Wholehearted Musician” business and brilliant new book; and multiple updates from Steuart and Michelle Pincombe, who have spent the last several months traveling the country in a 1959 trailer playing concerts in basically every place you can think of that’s not a concert hall. Their fantastic series is called “Music in Familiar Spaces.”

(Literally) Into the Wild: Speaking of getting out of the concert hall, what about getting outside? Or out of the country entirely?! That’s what still other features were doing this year, from Sound Impact’s latest outreach trip to Costa Rica, the International Artist Intiative’s extraordinary work in DR Congo, and Emlyn Johnson and Dan Ketter’s amazing “Into the Wild” project, which commemorates the National Park Service’s hundredth anniversary with concerts in the parks themselves.

Of course, these are just the tip of the iceberg! For our complete monthly archives, head on over to the site’s homepage.

As we continue to expand musicovation’s offerings and outreach, we want to thank all of our loyal followers and contributors for their continued support. One of the things I am most proud of about musicovation is the incredible diversity that we have, both in terms of our features and those who come to learn about them. The music world sometimes seems to be full of barriers, whether they be between different genres, performers and educators, or even simply between musicians and non-musicians. Yet on musicovation, everyone from amateurs to professional orchestra musicians to music appreciators share the same space, engaging in a collective discussion about our future. It is the hope of myself and Liz that the site will continue to be a model for inclusion and innovation in the music world, and most importantly, a continued source of positivity and inspiration.

On to year three!