-Opportunity for local artists to impact social change through their music-
Wilder, Vermont (May 21, 2025) — National nonprofit Music to Life – founded by Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary) – brings its Musician Changemaker Accelerator (MCA) Workshop to Pittsburgh on Saturday June, 21st at Emerald City (213 Smithfield St, Pittsburgh, PA 15222) from 8:30-5 pm. This full-day business incubator for socially conscious musicians from Pittsburgh will be delivered in partnership with BOOM Concepts and funded by the SONY Global Social Justice Fund. The MCA Workshop will engage up to 15 local musicians who have ideas for building positive, music-driven, and sustainable community programs.
In preparation for the Workshop, an energizing public Musician Changemaker Showcase will highlight the work and music of Workshop artist participants on Friday, June 20th at Community Forge (1256 Franklin Ave, Wilkinsburg, PA 15221) as a special event in their Open Mic series. The Open Mic night will be open to any performers as usual from 8 pm – 10 pm. Then from 10 pm – 11 pm, socially conscious musicians participating in the workshop will take the stage to share their original music. Free tickets can be reserved here.
“Pittsburgh’s community of musicians is full of talented visionaries with valuable lessons to share and teach,” says DS Kinsel, co-founder of BOOM Concepts. “Our partnership with Music to Life will provide a workspace where those lessons can be exchanged, supporting the holistic development of musicians across genres.”
The MCA is a ‘deep-dive’ business-skills session where social change artists receive training in proposal development, identifying good-fit partners and mobilizing community support. The MCA also connects artists with local community advocates and industry innovators like Michael Carroll of Charlotte’s Webb, Jeff Betten of Hellbender Vinyl, Christiane Leach of No Box Engagements, and Derek Reese of Shiftworks. Finally, the MCA pairs artists with volunteer mentors for post-training technical assistance and program troubleshooting.
“Any opportunity to give the local music ecosystem a boost in learning the business while showing there are multiple ways to utilize your skills for building up the community at the same time is a win-win opportunity. We’re very appreciative of Music to Life for thinking about Pittsburgh when choosing a new location for the accelerator workshop program,” says J, Thomas Agnew , co-founder of BOOM Concepts.
Participating musicians receive a full package of benefits including: $50 stipend, complimentary breakfast and lunch, and all Accelerator training and materials (estimated total value of $1K).
“Our work around the country empowers musicians to put their creative ideas for community healing into practice,” says Liz Stookey Sunde, Co-Founder & Executive Director of Music to Life. “Our goal is to help the heart-driven artists of Pittsburgh collaboratively address the causes that need their attention while also sustaining themselves financially and emotionally.”
ABOUT MUSIC TO LIFE:
Music to Life is a national nonprofit, founded by Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary) and daughter Liz, to connect socially conscious musicians with the resources to realize their visions for community change. www.musictolife.org
ABOUT BOOM Concepts:
BOOM Concepts is dedicated to the development of artist and creative entrepreneurs representing marginalized voices. BOOM Concepts supports artists around building creative experiences that will help to advance their personal and professional practices. https://boomuniverse.co/