Project BeethoVAN
Sponsored by the Ludwick Family Foundation
In an exciting collaboration with two Senior Design teams from the
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology’s Engineering Department
the BeethoVAN is…
A self-contained, mobile concert hall that presents free & accessible performances in our community.
Spot it at state parks, fairs, Farmers Markets, Assisted Living centers, downtown, Native American reservations, and more!
Impact
Project BeethoVAN is a key component of the Festival’s ability and success in promoting the arts through a series of concerts that enrich the quality of life for the immediate community of the Black Hills area of South Dakota (regional population of 250,000.) Through this mobile concert experience, the Festival was able to more than double its audiences and reach individuals who have virtually no access to classical music concerts. I
n light of recent Covid-19 restrictions and the cultural deprivation that accompanied them, it was especially important that we enhance our outreach model to include physically distanced outdoor concert experiences. Previously, the Festival was very limited in the number of outreach concerts it could present and the diversity of those venues. The primary challenges included the cost of van/bus rentals, the number of volunteers with available personal vehicles, the venues’ space restrictions, ADA accessibility, distance proximity, and usable piano availability.
Project Beetho-VAN has allowed the Festival students and faculty to mobilize a self-contained, indoor/outdoor stage to dozens of otherwise inaccessible venues, inspiring, enriching, and transforming the cultural fabric across the Western region through high-caliber chamber music concerts.
As this project is ongoing, consistent funding and community support is essential to the number of concerts that can be presented.
Consider donating to Project BeethoVAN!
