Diane Lane has committed $20,000 towards a four-year, $5,000 annual grant for New York-based female educators focused in music in honor of late composer Elizabeth Swados.
Swados, Broadway World reports, was a composer, writer, director, and educator in musical theater, with “a vast palette of musical styles inspired by the street, fringe, and political issues of the disenfranchised.” She passed away in January at the age of 64.
Lane made her theatrical acting debut in the Swados-composed “Medea” at the La MaMa experimental theatre in 1972. She then worked on Swados’ Public Theater original production of “Runaways.”
“Liz Swados gave her energetic force and encouragement to young, would-be artists to flourish and collaborate beyond their own perceived limitations,” Lane said. “It is within this spirit of empowerment that we wish to continue Liz’s legacy and impact, especially for under-recognized women in the field of teaching music.”
The Elizabeth Swados Inspiration Grant is “open to any NYC-based female music educator with a minimum of five consecutive years of teaching experience and at least 20 teaching hours per week during a full school year.” The recipient will be chosen by a panel of industry professionals chaired by Tony award-winning composer Jeanine Tesori (“Fun Home”).
The deadline for grant applications is June 17, 2016 at 11:59pm EDT. All details are available here.
