Serving Incarcerated Youth: An Alliance between Storycatchers Theatre and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Tuesday, October 19, 9:30 am – 11:00 am

Organized by Consuella Brown, program director, Woods Fund of Chicago; Nancy McCarty, executive director, Storycatchers Theatre.

Presented by Cayenne Harris, director of learning and access initiatives, Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Meade Palidofsky, artistic director, Storycatchers Theatre.

An exploratory meeting about serving incarcerated youth resulted in a partnership that brings classical musicians, such as the internationally renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma and conductor Riccardo Muti, into youth prisons. Since 2002, the Storycatchers Theatre Fabulous Females program has served adolescent girls incarcerated at the Illinois Youth Center, Warrenville by using the performing arts to guide in-depth explorations of the issues and challenges they face. In 2009, Storycatchers began a unique partnership with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) that integrates CSO teaching artists into the Fabulous Female program. This session will provide details about the value, challenges, and outcomes of the partnership, as well as the impact of the interactions on both the girls and the artists.


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