Equity Arc Convening
Equity Arc is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting talented, underserved youth in the pursuit of careers in classical music. During the weekend of April 4-6, the organization had its fourth annual convening at Symphony Center in Chicago. The convening is the capstone event of the organization’s year. Pistocelli Services is proud to have been one of the sponsors.
The weekend event hosted young orchestral musicians by competitive audition. Each student is enrolled in one of the dozen Pathways programs from across the U.S. The main event is the performance of the orchestra with members of the Chicago Symphony and Civic Orchestra of Chicago, which acted as mentors for the weekend. In addition to performing side-by-side with the students, these professionals held sectional rehearsals and conducted mock auditions, both valuable experiences in the training of young musicians.
There was a lot of hard work preparing for the concert at Orchestra Hall
Stanford Thompson
The founder of Equity Arc is Stanford Thompson, a trumpet player trained at the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. After graduation, Stan founded Play On Philly!, an after-school youth music program in Philadelphia based on the Venezuelan, El Sistema, model. Stan’s distinctive, compelling vision of providing access to musical careers for BIPOC youth follows an arc model – a series of mentorships, services, and supports at each level of musical activitiy, from pre-K to professional. He founded Equity Arc as a means of pursuing implementation of this arc.
Other Activities at the 2025 Convening
The young musicians participating in the orchestra comprise a fellowship and are referred to as fellow. They spent a lot of time together rehearsing, talking, and celebrating their experience. A panel discussion featuring fellows from both 2025 and previous years provided insight into the challenges and rewards of musicianship from the eyes of next generation artists. A college fair area allowed fellows to get information about college possibilities.
The Program – Make No Little Plans
The Fellowship Orchestra concert featured a challenging program. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Ballade requires the orchestra to play with both lyrical élan and rhythmic precision. Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 is one of the most powerful and challenging works in the repertoire. The ensemble responded with an amazingly finished performance, especially given that they were a pre-collegiate student orchestra with very limited rehearsal time. The entire concert was an amazing, uplifting event.
Illinois Governor Prizker Attends
Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker, along with First Lady, M.K. Pritzker, showed his support for the young musicians by attending the Fellows Orchestra concert.
