The California Arts Council announced Friday that they have awarded a more than $20,000 grant to the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Orchestra.

The grant is worth $28,500 and it is set to aid SCV Youth Orchestra’s revenue losses and bolster its fiscal infrastructure that were affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to officials. 

“We are extremely grateful for this opportunity to continue the arts for all students in the Santa Clarita Valley and beyond,” said Julie Vasquez, the SCV Youth Orchestra board chair. 

SCV Youth Orchestra has been a mainstay in the community for over 35 years and it is a non-school-based orchestra in the Santa Clarita Valley

When presented with the opportunity to accept the grant, Vasquez saw it as an opportunity to restore their losses.

“With this grant we will be able to recover some of the losses due to the pandemic and rebuild for new opportunities. We aim to provide classical music education and collaboration with our local elementary schools through colleges and conservatories,” Vasquez said.

The grant is also part of a larger announcement from the state art council, which issued grant awards for its Cycle A programming that’s worth more than $31 million. That included more than 1,100 grants that support non-profit organizations.

“We are elated today to be able to say that, with this first round of funds, we are placing a historic amount of money into the very worthy hands of California’s arts and cultural workforce, and with more yet to come,” said Lilia Gonzáles-Chávez, California Arts Council chair.

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