The Music Performance Trust Fund initiatives cover a wide range of admission-free live music events throughout the United States and Canada. The largest and most diverse category of our programs is Community Events. Well over half of our annual performances reside in this category.
At the heart of the MPTF’s mission is to enrich the public through access to the unity and spirit of live music. Community events are just that – admission-free live music presented in parks and public spaces available to all. They include summer series, festivals, and individual concerts meant to enliven city streets, create interaction, and enhance local economies. These musical celebrations are often steeped in tradition and community pride.
Most of MPTF’s community events are initiated by the local union offices of the American Federation of Musicians, who collaborate with community leaders in city government, parks programs, arts councils, chambers of commerce and other partners to create meaningful special events to enhance their environment. The AFM locals reach out to the MPTF for matching funds to support those efforts.
Several of these initiatives reach far beyond the locale. MPTF’s support of the French Quarter Festival draws thousands of visitors to New Orleans each spring for an admission-free weekend that celebrates the music indigenous to NOLA and the Louisiana region. The MPTF works regularly with the Broadway League to highlight the live musical theatre experience. This year, it was broadcast live in the New York metropolitan area on WABC-TV. Over the years, Broadway on Broadway evolved to Stars in the Alley, and now to Curtain Up! to extol the songs and stars of current Broadway hit shows. The MPTF has joined with the Broadway League in providing the musicians and music for the annual celebration of Juneteenth in the center of Times Square.
Community events have expanded even further with the advent of Covid-19, the MPTF launched live streamed concerts via its Facebook homepage to deliver live music when audiences could not assemble. These performances continue with hundreds of shows, including an eclectic array of musical styles.