Lost in the Stars
On March 20th, 2020, the state of New York received an order from the governor that all non-essential businesses were on pause until further notice. A full year later in March 2021 when many industries have resumed production, all of New York’s stages are still dark and two thirds of NYC’s arts and culture jobs are gone. This project is meant to honor that loss and also celebrate artists’ resilience as we navigate an uncertain future.
“Lost in the Stars” by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson
Heather Jones, mezzo-soprano and producer
Lindsay Phillips, choreographer and dancer
Andrew David Sotomayor, piano
Briana Del Mundo, videographer
Flora Ferguson, videographer
proceeds will go directly to the performers involved in this piece as well as Decolonizing the Music Room, a non profit organization that provides training and discourse to “center BBIA (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian) voices, knowledge, and experiences in order to challenge the historical dominance of white Western European and American music, narratives, and practices”
“(Pre-COVID), the median annual salary for full-time musicians and singers was $42,800; it was $40,500 for actors; and $36,500 for dancers and choreographers”
“Between 2009 and 2019... jobs in arts, entertainment, and recreation grew by 42%, outpacing the 30% growth in total private sector employment—but, in 2020, employment fell by 66%”
“As of Feb. 4 (2021), 59% of arts and entertainment businesses...and venues in New York City have shut down altogether ”
“According to the most recent data, arts and culture contribute 4.5% of the annual national GDP through direct economic activity 4 and 3.4% of the total work force.
The value the arts add to the U.S. economy ($877.8 billion in 2017) is five times larger than that added by agriculture, and $265 billion larger than that of transportation and warehousing. The sector also contributes to a rising trade surplus: the nation exports $30 billion more in arts and cultural goods and services than it currently imports. ”
arts.gov, January 2021