MVV Music House

The Mount Vernon Virtuosi Music House Capital Campaign

Join us as we embark on a fundraising campaign to raise $6 million dollars by 2028.

General Budget:

$3 million for construction.

$3 million for an endowment to ensure the ongoing operation of the facility and its education program.

Incentives to give:

- $1,000: be recognized on the general donor’s wall inside the music house

- $5,000: a personal plaque within the music house sound garden

- $10,000: a named chair in the orchestra

- $50,000: a named principal chair in the orchestra

- $100,000: a named conductor podium

- $500,000: a named room in the music house for a resident musician

- $1 million: name the music house guest artist apartment

- $2 million and above: name the music house

Since the founding of Mount Vernon Virtuosi in 2018, we have accomplished so much!

Our newest education initiative is called Every Child Deserves a Voice, in partnership with KIPP Harmony Academy in Baltimore.But as we finish our 2022-23 Fifth Anniversary season, we are in the midst of our most ambitious project yet: the MVV MUSIC HOUSE, a facility in East Baltimore which will house members of the orchestra and serve as a home base for rehearsals and gatherings. Our musicians will commit to a two-year residency in which they will, rather than occasionally visit, live and work within the community of East Baltimore collaborating with schools and organizations to bring music into the lives of community members from all walks of life.

The Mount Vernon Virtuosi is Much More Than a Chamber Orchestra

How Peabody professor Amit Peled is changing the community through classical music—while also working to keep his students in town after graduation.

By Max Weiss Baltimore Magazine, March 2023

Amit Peled, a cello professor at the Peabody Institute, believes two things: That concerts should be free. And that musicians should be well paid for their work. “Those don’t always go together,” he admits with a wry laugh.

Indeed, the lack of funds to pay musicians locally is one of the reasons why Baltimore often can’t retain its talented Peabody players. “We get them to a certain level in college, and they’re really outstanding,” says Peled. “And then they leave.”

So in 2018, he created the Mount Vernon Virtuosi chamber orchestra with the hope of keeping Peabody students in town after graduation. Through donations, he was able to pay young graduates to perform around town and also offer the community free concerts in nontraditional spaces, like churches, hospitals, and the Enoch Pratt Free Library, with the playing being of the highest caliber—both small ensembles and a larger chamber orchestra—and Peled, pictured above alongside three Virtuosi musicians, serving as conductor, mentor, and performer.

And then the pandemic hit, changing everything. As a highly sought-after concertizing musician, Peled was used to going on tour after the Peabody semester ended. So much of what he knew of Baltimore stopped and started at the conservatory. “I got stuck here for the first time in my life,” he says. “I really started to feel this is my city… I want to do more than just present concerts for free. I want to actually make a change through classical music.”

In short order, the Mount Vernon Virtuosi evolved from an ensemble that gave concerts into one that was determined to make a real difference. Through their “Every Child Deserves a Voice” program, they started giving lessons for free twice a week at the KIPP Harmony Academy magnet school in Southwest Baltimore. They began doing story hour at the Pratt, where players would read a children’s book and perform related music.

“I want to actually make a change through classical music.”

But his most radical idea was the Music House, which he envisions as a place where young musicians (mostly but not exclusively Peabody graduates) could live for free, rehearse, and fully integrate themselves into the community.

Peled approached Charlie Duff, of the nonprofit development firm Jubilee Baltimore, and asked for help. Duff in turn showed Peled some potential spaces—two in Reservoir Hill, one in Bolton Hill. Then he mentioned an old warehouse in East Baltimore Midway. “You won’t like it,” said Duff. But it was, in fact, exactly what Peled was hoping for: an underserved neighborhood where the musicians could embed themselves. He envisions people walking by, hearing the music, maybe coming inside to listen for a bit. “This is an area where most people have never seen a violin, let alone a violinist walking from their home to get coffee,” says Peled.

Duff, whose Jubilee Baltimore is invested in improving local neighborhoods, was thrilled. “We have found that artists are quite good for neighborhood revitalization,” he says. “It’s known as the Soho Effect.”

Peled credits growing up in Israel on a kibbutz with fueling his passion for public service. He said his family was pretty poor and never could’ve afforded cello lessons without the support from his community. To that end, there is also a food pantry across the street from the Music House where Peled already volunteers once a week.

Peled is also an extremely good salesman and passionate about his project—so much so that Pierce Flanigan, a contractor who is investing in the same neighborhood, made a 10-year commitment to let him use the warehouse for free. There’s still a lot of money to be raised before the players can move in—Peled estimates that the Music House will be fully operational in five years—but between the teaching, the volunteer work, and the concertizing, the Mount Vernon Virtuosi is already fulfilling a lot of its mission.

“So far it’s been amazing for me and for my musicians,” says Peled. “And I’m not stopping. This is my calling.”

Jubilee Baltimore, a nonprofit organization with extensive experience in historic renovation and community planning

Gil Even-Tsur, AIA, GE-T Architects

P. Flanigan & Sons, Inc., Baltimore-based company with over 130 years of experience completing infrastructure improvements and maintenance projects

"Being a part of the MVV family has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had as a musician. Not only has it helped me to grow as a cellist, but it’s also an amazing opportunity to collaborate with incredible artists and create music at such a high level. Sharing music with our audiences in Maryland has also been a great privilege and has brought me memorable moments that I will always cherish." — Natalia Vilchis, cellist; DMA candidate at Peabody Institute

“MVV has been nothing but a blessing for me. The truth is that sharing the stage with my beloved teacher Amit Peled has always been so special and inspirational. Add some of the most amazing musicians, colleagues and friends, and we are set for some excellent music making. We get together four times a year for a set of concerts for all kinds of audiences. We even have concerts dedicated exclusively to kids! Of course, these concerts involve some intense preparation, but it never feels like it, because it is so much fun to work together within such a great environment as MVV offers. This orchestra has always been a dream for my teacher, and I am so honored to have been a part of it. I am looking forward very much to seeing what the future holds for MVV.” — Ismael Guerrero, cellist; Resident Fellow 2022-23, Los Angeles Philharmonic; Salon de Virtuosi 2022 Career Grant awardee