From 1994 to 2004, a seminal decade for the arts in America, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation invested $13 million in its Magic of Music Symphony Orchestra Initiative. This commissioned history by Dr. Thomas Wolf offers more than a chronology of the program. It identifies significant lessons for funders and for orchestras. These insights extend to other nonprofit arts organizations as well.
“The Search for Shining Eyes” tries to reach beyond the Knight Foundation family and the small pool of orchestras that participated to capitalize on one of the most valuable roles foundations can play: to serve as a lasting laboratory for learning.
