Appleton – As the Mile of Music nears its 10th annual festival, new nonprofit will fund both the hundreds of performing artists coming through Appleton and the festival’s children’s music education program I’m doing it.
Appleton Community Music Inc. was established to support artists by raising funds for their performances, lodging, meals, festival-covered wellness care, and music-making experiences for young festival-goers. I was.
Tom Donney, president of Appleton Community Music, said at the nonprofit’s launch event. at the Hilton Appleton Paper Valley Hotel on Tuesday.
The Mile of Music has been held annually since 2013, but in 2020 the festival was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This music festival has stages across his mile of College Avenue, from Lawrence College at the eastern end to Spatz and Emmett at the western end. The Mile of Music is free to attend and features original music performed by independent artists.
Last year’s four-day festival spent nearly $2.6 million to perform 700 live music sets at over 40 venues hosting performances and music education activists.
To sustain the event, Appleton Community Music is raising $420,000 to support over 200 performing artists and over 40 interactive music education experiences for children.
Donny said the festival’s ability to support artists by paying for lodging and providing on-site medical and dental care is what makes the Mile of Music so unique.
“That’s why when we founded this nonprofit, we thought it would be appropriate to focus on the artists themselves,” he said.
Karli Reisdorf performed on Mile of Music with her duo Natural Satellite. She said the festival offers a unique opportunity for her and other independent her artists to perform original music in front of a wide audience.
In addition to helping you grow as a musician, Reisdorf says one of the best aspects of the festival is that “young musicians pick up instruments, write songs and participate in (the Mile of Music). ,” he said.
While the past nine festivals have been largely funded by sponsors, Donnie said there needs to be a non-profit organization that people can donate to that “provides 100% of donations to the Mile of Music.” rice field.
And the nonprofit is already on track to meet its 2023 fundraising goal, with the David L. and Rita E. Nelson Family Fund contributing $100,000 to the campaign.
Mile of Music Co-Founder and Executive Producer Dave Willems said the partnership is essential to continue providing and expanding support for artists.
“We share the same need to ensure that this unique festival and the incomparable atmosphere that comes with it is preserved well into the future,” Willems said.
Related:Mile of Music 9 draws an estimated 90,000 people despite wet weather
Related:Mile of Music featured in the September issue of Rolling Stone
Sophia Voight can be reached at svoight@postcrescent.com. Follow her on her Twitter @sophia_voight.