2009
'Grace Note Audience Development Award' by the Irving Philharmonic
2009
'Agency of the Year Award' by ExxonMobil Community Summer Jobs Program
and The Volunteer Center of North Texas.
2008
'Financial Excellence in the Arts Award' by the City of Dallas Office of Cultural Affairs
2000
Virginia Nick 'Arts in Education Award' by TACA
1997 & 1999
Artists in Residence at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado
1996-97
'Arts Award' for exemplary arts education programming by Texas Commission on the Arts
1994
'Arts and Education Award' by the North Texas Business for Culture and the Arts
Founded in 1981 by oboist Rogene Russell and bassoonist Charles Price, Fine Arts Chamber Players (FACP) has over 30 years of history featuring local professional musicians in chamber music concerts and educational programs at no charge to the public.
In collaboration with Harry Parker, then Director of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts in Fair Park, the first Basically Beethoven series took place during the summer of 1981, at the Museum in Fair Park. The organization owes its name to the museum, its namesake and was christened the Fine Arts Chamber Players for its home. The free Basically Beethoven Festival concert series, which takes place on each Sunday afternoon in July, quickly became known as Dallas’ premier summer chamber music festival.
In 1984 The Dallas Museum of Fine Arts moved to its new home in the downtown Dallas Arts District. Renamed the Dallas Museum of Art, this is where FACP began its new “fall-winter-spring” concert series known as the Bancroft Family Concerts. This series, which takes place in Horchow Auditorium, consists of seven Saturday afternoon concerts from October through May with no admission charge to the general public.
The daytime slots of both series were expressly chosen to support FACP’s commitment to provide professional chamber music to those who would not traditionally be able to attend – particularly older adults and families with children. For almost three decades, FACP’s concert series have consistently attracted standing-room-only audiences.
In 1989, FACP created an educational outreach program called Dream Collectors. The Dream Collectors musicians and actors presented a unique performance of classical music, storytelling, improvisation, mime and magic which introduced the classical arts in a manner which crossed language, social and economic barriers.
The Dream Collectors first performances were a Native American folktale entitled “He Who Paints the Sky” and an environmental piece titled “Earth Rhythms” and were part of the Dream Collectors repertoire for six years. With the overwhelming success of their efforts, the group decided to integrate other subjects with the arts. In 1994, the group created “LD Zone – Learning Differently Zone”, a program designed to bring an awareness of the challenges faced by children with dyslexia and learning differences. Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children physicians and staff served as consultants on this project and Scottish Rite Hospital released a video presentation of LD Zone in 1997. Currently, the Shelton School has the artists in residence and this program has been recognized by the Dallas Morning News and continues to perform to rave reviews.Today, the Dream Collectors perform two new programs; “For Every Action…Or a Matter of Choice” which uses live classical music and theatre to link science, history, physics and literature with character development; and “The Music of Poetry” which presents poetry in spoken Chinese, Italian, English and Spanish as well as Native American poetry and sign language.
However, in response to requests by public school music educators, FACP concentrated on developing additional educational outreach programs to accommodate the need. Named Community Classics, these educational classes include; Latin Folk Fiesta featuring folk music performances by professional musicians from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela; Music A to Z which is a classroom instrument demonstration and workshop using the alphabet to introduce preschool and kindergarten children to classical music and is curriculum connected to TEKS; and the FACP Master Classes where an area professional musician provides specialized instruction on brass, string, woodwind, vocal or percussion to students in a classroom setting. All programs are provided to students and public schools in the City of Dallas at no charge.
In keeping with the mission, FACP launched two new community programs. The Work Bench Project locates, restores and donates instruments to students and schools and the Dream Collectors Senior program engages seniors with a lively and engaging program in Senior Communties in North Texas. As with all FACP programs, these services are offered free of charge to the community.
Since its inception in 1981, through the free Bancroft Family Concert series, the free Basically Beethoven Festival, the free For the Love of Music youth recitals and the five free educational programs, FACP has reached over 215,000 children and performed for over 540,000 area citizens.
FACP is managed as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by the Executive Director, Artistic Director, a strong Board of Directors, and a roster of outstanding local artists.
