L.A.’s Street Symphony project among NEA grant recipients

Street Symphony, a community project founded by Los Angeles Philharmonic violinist Robert Gupta, is one of a number of cultural initiatives across the country that have been named recipients of “fast-track” grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The NEA announced the list of 153 recipients on Tuesday. The Challenge America Fast-Track grants are intended for small and mid-sized organizations to help fund projects that extend the reach of the arts to disadvantaged groups.

The total amount of fast-track grants is $1.53 million, said the NEA. Individual organizations receive $10,000 each.

Gupta founded Street Symphony with Adrian Hong, a human-rights activist, and Adam Crane, the former director of public relations for the L.A. Philharmonic. The organization received the NEA grant for its project to bring concerts to impoverished military veterans.

Other local groups to receive the NEA grant include Piece by Piece, an L.A. group that provides mosaic workshops in underserved communities; Great Leap, another L.A. organization that uses the arts to reach disadvantaged communities; and the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra of Culver City, which is working to put on free jazz concerts for economically disadvantaged students.

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