Mission and Organization Profile

Mission Statement

Project Prelude’s mission is to expand accessibility to instrumental music education while enriching the community through the transformative power of the arts.

Organization Profile

Over the past eight years, Project Prelude has emerged as one of the premier youth-led organizations of its kind in the nation. Founded in 2016 to bring cost-free instrumental music education to underserved elementary schools, the organization has since expanded to offer a dynamic range of community initiatives. With programs diversifying the outreach of classical music while connecting individuals of all backgrounds, Project Prelude is shaping an equitable future for the arts.

At the core of the Project Prelude’s artistic regions is an innovative, cost-free training program that engages high school musicians to provide weekly group instruction to youth from underserved populations. A robust instrument loaning program provides each student with a personal instrument for the entire year. Through a comprehensive curriculum centered around performance, music theory, body awareness, collaboration, and citizen artistry, students are prepared to present a culminating concert at the end of the year for their community.

In partnership with the Back to BACH Project, the Coda Fellowship amplifies the growth of young students through weekly private coaching sessions with professionally trained high school mentors. Each season, musicians from the nation’s most prominent training institutions are tapped to foster the artistic development of the fellows.

A joint program of Project Prelude and the Monday Musical Club of Portland, the Crescendo Masterclasses engage distinguished artists to share their expertise with young artists and the greater community. Through these fully-funded opportunities, participants receive coaching and guidance to further their artistic and professional goals. Teaching artists share unique insights into their craft, and their experiences as citizen artists in today’s musical world.

The organization’s Community Concerts regularly present acclaimed concert artists and young musicians in vibrant programs of classical music. Centered around integrating the community into classical music concerts, the series has attracted a roster of artists that includes Kenji Bunch, Maggie Carter, Raúl Gómez-Rojas, and Valdine Mishkin, among others.

Today, Project Prelude is supported by a team of over 30 musicians. With a rich history that has impacted hundreds of students over the years, the organization has been honored with the National Youth Leadership Council’s Service-Learning Excellence Award, and grants from Disney and Youth Service America. The organization is a recipient of a WE Award from the Beaverton School District, recognizing exemplary community partnership work. Past leadership includes Catherine Hartrim-Lowe, Nate Strothkamp, Kira Wang, Amy Wang, Kaylee Jeong, Isabelle Zheng (co-founder), and Cammie Lee (co-founder). The Metropolitan Youth Symphony is the fiscal sponsor of Project Prelude.

Project Prelude is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.