Helping Early-Career Musicians Find Their Paths
Creative Lab participant Noelia Cruz, a former classical violinist, struggled to find a new path in music after a devastating arm injury. Photo Credit: Ryan Bennett
Arts ensemble Eighth Blackbird reopens transformative training program, igniting artistic exploration and collaboration
In 2021, Walder Foundation’s Meeting the Moment grants injected life into Chicago’s struggling performing arts industry. Now, those investments are coming to fruition.
One such success story is that of Eighth Blackbird, a visionary performing arts team that was forced to pause its transformative early-career music training program in 2019. Thanks to a boost from the Meeting the Moment funding, the Blackbird Creative Lab is officially back and better than ever. This past spring, 19 emerging musicians from around the world took part in a rejuvenating, inspiring two-week immersive experience in Wisconsin.
“The Creative Lab was life-changing,” said Noelia Cruz, a former classical violinist who had recently found herself struggling to find a new path in music after a devastating arm injury. “I still wanted to do music; the love was still in me. But I needed to do it in a new way. I had been about to quit, and this was my last attempt at finding an answer. I went to the lab looking for a new home in music… and well, I left with a whole neighborhood.”
Lisa Kaplan, one of the program’s founders, said Noelia’s experience was not unique. She emphasized that the community built during these retreats is one of the key reasons she and the rest of the Eighth Blackbird team created them.
“It’s about experimentation and trying things out and having access to other performers to be able to try things out,” said Kaplan. “Particularly with composers, they can get stuck in these little bubbles of writing in their home studios. Whether it’s at the piano or using their computer, there’s this human element that is lost. To make a space where performers can actually be involved and be part of this process with living composers—that’s at the heart of our mission.”
The Blackbird Creative Lab launched in 2017 as a two-week performing arts residency for 30 fellows in Ojai, California. The following years, pre-pandemic, saw the program continue to gain accolades and build a strong reputation as something special for musicians looking to find their voice–and their people.
“I had first seen the program a few years ago and had this hope that maybe I could join the next one. Then COVID happened,” said Cruz.
The renewed 2023 lab marks the first of what has been reimagined as a three-year cycle. This spring’s cohort focused on individuals; next year will invite chamber ensembles to apply; and the third year will culminate in a Chicago-based new music festival comprised of performances by program alums.
“The plan is that 2025 will be a professional development year for all lab alums,” said Kaplan. We’ll have the festival in Chicago, and we’ll set up other professional development opportunities for participants in other cities, with our mentorship continuing throughout.”
Though the program initially began as a tuition-free fellowship, as part of the relaunch post-COVID, Kaplan and her team are exploring new approaches to help the lab stay sustainable in coming years. The 2023 program offered a sliding scale, with participants contributing based on what they could afford.
Meanwhile, program alums like Cruz have been inspired to chart new courses and keep the creativity flowing.
“I came back so motivated,” said Cruz, who has been working on completing a verbal score of her poetry and original compositions for a new album. “After the lab, I felt that okay, it’s time to really produce this work and put it out there.”
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