TAKING A STAND SHOULD BE THE STANDARD.
Amid the weeks-long barrage of harmful executive actions and policy proposals, you may also have heard the news about the President’s new restrictions on the art we are permitted to create and the way artists are able to express themselves.
The National Endowment for the Arts has announced new funding guidelines for FY 2026, canceling its grant program that prioritized bringing the arts to underserved communities nationwide. In an unprecedented move pulled directly from the authoritarian playbook, President Trump has fired 18 members of the Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees, appointed a new interim Executive Director for the center, and installed himself Chairman as part of an effort to prevent the venue from staging future productions that feature performers in drag or anything else he deems “anti-American propaganda.”. In his words, he has unilaterally decided to remove individuals “who do not share [his] Vision for a Golden Age in Arts and Culture.”
Freedom of expression is one of our most valued American ideals. We unequivocally refuse to remain silent in the face of our Executive Branch’s desire to curtail this constitutional right and control the national cultural narrative.
These attempts at stifling artistic expression show that our leaders are well aware of the importance of the arts and the impact they have on society. We founded PROTESTRA to use music to speak out against injustice. We are prepared to stand up for the right to make artistic choices free from government interference.
Our current season, titled PROTESTRA 2025, will include concerts and resistance efforts against government policies that encroach on our civil rights.
We have ambitious plans to advocate for causes including trans rights, free gender expression, artistic liberty, immigrant and refugee rights, women’s rights, and climate action.
To make these goals a reality, we need to grow our resources, our team, and our reach. It is common for nonprofits in our position to begin pursuing government grants in order to help fund their activities. Yet many arts organizations are now at a crossroads with regard to such funding: Choose a watered-down message to fit revised grant guidelines or face budget cuts.
As a young organization, the majority of our funding has thus far come from individual donors; we aren’t beholden to federal grant guidelines that would restrict our work and our message of social justice for all. We intend to keep it that way and will not back down from our vision of being a pioneer for change in the classical music industry. We realize that to truly be an orchestra “for the people”—rather than one subject to government influence—we must take the leap and fully commit to our grassroots approach.
Therefore, to create this large-scale musical resistance, we need your support. PROTESTRA has created a new Season Sponsorship Circle in our boldest fundraising campaign yet: We are seeking 200 Season Sponsors who will commit to donating $1,000 each over the course of the year.
PROTESTRA is the ONLY symphony orchestra in the US that has regularly produced benefit concerts specifically advocating for social justice causes since 2020.
However, in the past, we have only been able to produce a handful of concerts per season. A fully active Season Sponsorship Circle would provide PROTESTRA with $200,000 per year, enough funding to produce 10 full orchestra concerts. This season’s action starts with our March 1st concert to benefit NYC immigrants, and with your support, this will be just the beginning of our musical resistance movement.
PROTESTRA is steadfast in our commitment to create art in response to the dismantling of fundamental rights. Join us in taking a stand.