What happened
According to a May 29 news release, local company Frost Bank was named a presenting sponsor of The Orchestra San Antonio, which operates as a CMI umbrella organization.
The release states the sponsorship carries a $2 million gift designed to help support the orchestra and its aim toward furthering music educational opportunities, collaboration and community programs.
Officials with CMI, itself a resident company of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in downtown San Antonio, said their organization is committed to making music and music education more accessible to all members of the San Antonio community through outreach initiatives, education programs and a variety of performances.
How we got here
According to representatives of the organization, CMI debuted in 2016 as an outgrowth of the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio.
CMI offers classical music education to Bexar County students during two-week and year-round programs.
CMI officials said they aim to use these educational programs and performances to further long-term goals, such as partnering with local school districts and creating a gateway for people of all ages to access the local performing arts.
Stay tuned
CMI officials said Frost Bank’s sponsorship and monetary gift are the largest single infusion of funding CMI has received in its history.
"We are honored by this amazing gift and Frost Bank's trust in CMI's mission of performance serving education,” CMI President and CEO Paul Montalvo said in a statement.
Frost Bank Chair and CEO Phil Green said his company is proud to sponsor The Orchestra San Antonio and CMI. Other sponsorships, tiers and levels are available for other companies and organizations interested in supporting the performing arts via CMI.
"Not only will our community be provided with outstanding classical music performance, but the lives of students will be forever changed through the unique educational engagement [The Orchestra San Antonio] provides,” Green said in a statement.
Take action
The institute’s staff is providing a summer filled with musical activities. The CMI 210 Festival Youth Program, which began June 10 and continues through June 21, gives local students ages 8-18 a chance to develop their music skills as performers. The program will end with a concert in late June.
Also this summer, Opera San Antonio, another Tobin Center resident group, is partnering with CMI to provide an intensive training program focused on classical solo and chamber vocal music. Additionally, this June, CMI is offering a teaching artist fellowship, a three-week program for string players, pianists and vocalists.
CMI officials said they will soon release details about the institute’s 2024 performance season.
