WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 28, 2024) — Encore Creativity for Older Adults announced the formation of new partnerships at its Annual Celebration Brunch on October 26, 2024. The arts nonprofit, the nation’s largest choral arts organization for adults 55 and older, is strengthening its long-term partnership with AARP to move its accessible online Encore University educational platform to a free access model. In an exciting new partnership, the organization announced on Saturday that it is partnering with Prince George’s Community College to begin the Encore Chorale of Prince George’s Community College in January 2025, a new non-auditioned singing group for adults 55+ on campus. The organization also announced a major gift to support the national expansion of its existing programs.
“We are incredibly grateful for the support of AARP and Prince George’s Community College,” said Joshua Vickery, Chief Executive Officer of Encore Creativity for Older Adults. “Expanding our programs and breaking down the barriers for older adults in the arts is a part of our commitment to becoming a changemaking organization in the creative aging field. We have set goals for the future that includes thoughtful expansion with an eye towards diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the arts, and expanding our partnerships is one way to ensure those goals are met.”
“The partnership between AARP and Encore Creativity represents more than funding – it represents a shared vision of what aging can and should be in America,” said James Brooks, Director of Community Engagement for AARP. “Together, we’re declaring that creative aging isn’t a luxury – it’s a vital component of healthy aging, and it should be available to everyone.” AARP’s financial commitment ensures that Encore University—which began in 2020 and includes classes on basic musicianship, singing techniques, music history, art and design, composition theory, and more—will move from a tuition-based model to a pay-what-you-will format that will allow access to all courses worldwide, regardless of financial status.
Encore Creativity’s partnership with AARP began in 2019 and expanded in 2022 with a focus on and providing creative wellness to older adults across the nation. The Encore University partnership is a groundbreaking new addition in the organizations’ relationship, which promises to expand access to all older adults with an interest in improving their health through their creativity.
Encore’s new partnership with Prince George’s Community College is similarly focused on expanding access to music education to diverse populations. Dr. Falecia D. Williams, President of Prince George’s Community College, announced at the podium on Saturday that the partnership is an opportunity to unite generations on campus. “Beginning January 2025, PGCC will become a vibrant hub for artistic expression and lifelong learning, hosting an Encore choral ensemble right here on our campus. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to serving all members of our wonderfully diverse Prince George’s County community, regardless of age or musical experience. . . By partnering with Encore, we’re not just creating another program; we’re building bridges across generations, cultures, and experiences,” said Dr. Williams.
The new Encore Chorale of Prince George’s Community College will begin in January. The program will bring a new non-auditioned ensemble to adults in the community and rehearse for 90 minutes each week, culminating in a free public performance opportunity at the end of the semester. “As we look toward January 2025, we’re not just launching a singing program – we’re creating a model for how educational institutions can partner with innovative organizations like Encore to enrich lives, foster community connections, and prove that creativity knows no age limit,” said Dr. Williams.
Joshua Vickery, Chief Executive Officer, announced a major gift as the Celebration Brunch’s curtains closed. The gift, a designation of $500,000 from dedicated singer Joe Luquire, will help Encore with national expansion and provide the transformative power of music to older adults in new groups.
At the Annual Celebration Brunch, several Encore Creativity members were welcomed to the podium to explain what Encore Creativity meant for them. “I loved singing and knew how it made me feel; but was awed to find out that others my age felt the same way,” said Dr. Chodaesessie Morgan, who began singing with Encore virtually during COVID-19.
“Encore has been our retirement ‘secret sauce’,” said Neil Waldman, singer with an Encore ROCKS ensemble. “You know the reasons: the fun, the friendships, the challenges, the camps, the travel, the education, the socialization and the group work towards a common goal for the concerts.”
Tracie Becker, who initially joined Encore Creativity’s Arts for Life ensembles to support her mother with cognitive change, highlighted the joy that Encore has brought to both her and her mother. “My mom and I did not know how to read music. We had never been part of a chorus group. And yet we were fully embraced by this small and mighty group in Fairfax. The exuberance, the acceptance and the genuine encouragement we found. . . was the lifeline that hoisted us out of dementia’s darkness and isolation.”
Luquire’s generous pledge will share that same joy with new singers—those who have never sung before, those who sing every day, and everyone in-between—and give the gift of song to all who seek it.
Encore Creativity, now in its 18th year, has a mission to create meaningful arts experiences supporting lifelong learning, wellness, and fun for all older adults. The organization was founded after the results of an NIH and NEA-funded study that proved the health benefits of choral singing for older adults, particularly in areas of social connection, cognition, and brain health. Older adults who participated in the study reported higher levels of happiness and social connection. Encore Creativity seeks to create a world where all older adults have a place in the arts.
About Encore Creativity for Older Adults
Founded in 2007 by Jeanne Kelly during a National Institutes of Health-funded study to address the mental and physical health benefits of singing for older adults, Encore Creativity for Older Adults now hosts chorales nationwide, plus its annual summer camps, winter retreat, and travel abroad programs. Encore’s mission is to create meaningful arts experiences supporting lifelong learning, wellness, and fun for all older adults. Encore’s programs, offered in-person and online, include its Chorale ensembles, ROCKS rock ‘n’ roll ensembles, and its Arts for Life programs for those with cognitive change and their care partners. Across all its programs, Encore now has more than 1,800 singers and 40 ensembles throughout the country, from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan region to Santa Clarita, California. Encore seeks to create a world where all older adults have a place in the arts.