Grants Approved For Tercentennial, Friends Of Music

The state Office of Policy and Management has approved two $6,000 grants to help fund artistic and cultural evens in Newtown, State Rep Julia B. Wasserman, R-106th District, announced this week.

One of the $6,000 grants was approved for the Newtown Tercentennial Committee and will help fund a variety of cultural events, including musical performances and art exhibits, that will be held this year to help commemorate the town’s tercentennial, Rep Wasserman said.

“I’m very pleased to announce that the state Office of Policy and Management has approved my request for these grants,” Rep Wasserman said. “This funding means a lot to the Tercentennial Committee. It will provide the resources the town needs to organize a series of cultural, artistic and musical events that illustrate, illuminate, and commemorate 300 years of Newtown history and tradition.”

The other $6,000 grant was approved for Newtown Friends of Music, a nonprofit group that performs chamber music concerts, Rep Wasserman said. “This grant will assist Friends of Music in defraying its operating expenses and continuing to present more of the concerts that have enriched the cultural life of our community for so many years. It also will help Friends of Music maintain its efforts to introduce young people to chamber music and to instill in them an appreciation for great music that will last for the rest of their lives,” she said.

Rep Wasserman also secured a $15,000 grant for the group about four years ago to support its Visiting Artists and School Outreach Program. The program gives students an opportunity to hear and interact with world-class musicians and their music.