2017 Recipients

September 2017

Julius Eastman: That Which is Fundamental Festival at The Kitchen

$15,000

In January 2018, The Kitchen will present a multi-concert and archival retrospective of Julius Eastman (1940-1990). A gay African-American composer and performer, Eastman was active in avant-grade contemporary music in the 1970s and ‘80s. He was among the first musicians to use Minimalist repetitions as a structure to contain improvisations and elements of pop music, becoming increasingly engaged with topics of race and sexual orientation in his work.

Web page: Julius Eastman (Wikipedia)
Website: The Kitchen

In April 2015, RDBF provided a grant to Renée Levine-Packer in support of the book Gay Guerrilla: Julius Eastman and His Music.


September 2017

Digital Art Committee, Whitney Museum

$12,500

The Digital Art Committee is devoted to strengthening and expanding the Whitney Museum of American Art’s collection of artworks that use digital technologies as medium, engaging with the aesthetic, cultural, social or political impact of these technologies.

Mr. Bielecki personally donated Addie Wagenknecht’s Asymmetric Love Number 2 (Steel, CCTV cameras and DSL internet cables), 2013 to the Museum’s collection in July, 2017.

Website: The Whitney Museum of American Art


September 2017

Art Ensemble of Chicago
Tribute to Joseph Jarman

$5,000

Columbia University School of the Arts presents an unprecedented and rare opportunity to hear one of the most legendary bands of all time, the Art Ensemble of Chicago. This performance on October 6th will be their only New York City stop, one day ahead of their participation in October Revolution, a new jazz and contemporary music festival in Philadelphia.

Web page: NYC Performance
Web page: Additional information


September 2017

Guelph Jazz Festival

$6,000 CAD

September 13 – 17, 2017, Guelph Ontario
Artist accommodations and hospitality

Guelph Jazz Festival provides opportunities for everyone to be inspired by and engaged in creative music. The Festival strives to present distinctive music that reflects the world in which we live and to make it accessible to the broadest possible audience through concerts, educational initiatives, and free programs.

Website: Guelph Jazz Festival


June 2017

Performa Commissioning Council Grant

$20,000

“Performa is a multidisciplinary non-profit arts organization dedicated to exploring the critical role of live performance in the history of twentieth century art and to encouraging new directions in performance for the twenty-first century. Part of Performa’s mission is to present a biennial of visual art performance in New York City that illuminates the critical role of performance in the history of art as well as its enormous significance in the international world of contemporary art.” (from Performa)

Website: Performa 17
Website: Performa


June 2017

Primary Information — Challenge Grant / Carolee Schneeman Publication

$12,000

Primary Information challenge grant to support the forthcoming publication, Carolee Schneemann’s Uncollected Texts, 1956 – 1980, timed to coincide with Ms. Schneemann’s first major US retrospective at MoMA PS1 in the Fall of 2017.

Web page: Annual Print Fund
Website: Primary Information


June 2017

Museum of Modern Art’s Media and Performance Art Committee

$20,000

Robert Bielecki serves on the Committee under the impressive leadership of Chief Curator Stuart Comer and his talented staff.  He joined in 2015.

Mr. Bielecki personally donated edition 1/3 of Leslie Thornton’s three-channel HD video Luna, 2013 to the Museum’s collection in May, 2017.

Web page: Committee / Media and Performance Art
Website: MoMA


June 2017

Lead Underwriter Grant for Ars Nova Workshop’s Inaugural October Revolution Festival

$15,000

As Philadelphia is the birthplace of the American Experiment, the October Revolution Festival integrates the values of freedom, experimentation, and collegiality into the Philadelphia cultural and physical landscape to push boundaries, open borders, and welcome a new spirit of artistic possibility into the ongoing story of the country’s first capital and great cosmopolitan city. The inaugural Festival will take place in Fall 2017, over the weekend of October 6–8.

Website: October Revolution
Website: Ars Nova Workshop


June 2017

Harvestworks — The Early Immersive Music of Joan La Barbara Recording

$4,600

This collection includes a first release of the award-winning CYCLONE plus two LP reissues offered here remixed to her original surround concept: as lightning comes, in flashes explores a vast array of La Barbara’s siignature extended vocal techniques; AutumnSignal is a rare example of the composer’s work with Buchla synthesizer for spatialization as well as modification of vocals. CD / Blu-ray release.

Website: Joan La Barbara
Website: Joan La Barbara / Mode Records
Website: New Music USA
Website: Harvestworks


March 2017

The Jazz Gallery / Sounds of the Future Campaign Matching Grant

$25,000

Congratulations to The Jazz Gallery for exceeding our foundation’s $25,000 matching grant. They raised enough money to soundproof their performance space which, in turn, allows them to renew their lease. The music continues!

Website: The Jazz Gallery
Facebook: The Jazz Gallery
Twitter: @TheJazzGallery
Instagram: @thejazzgallery


February 2017

Americas Society —
Conlon Nancarrow Series, 2018

$10,000

Americas Society’s “Music of the Americas Concert Series” features 20 concerts per season, reflecting the diversity of music composed and performed in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. Since 2007, Americas Society has been commissioning new works. The next group of pieces by five composers who will write new works for Disklavier and instruments inspired by Conlon Nancarrow’s music will be premiered in spring 2018.

Website: Music of the Americas
Facebook: Music of the Americas
Twitter: @MusicAmericas


February 2017

Creative Music Studio —
CMS 2017 Workshop and Concerts

$11,500

Website: Creative Music Foundation
Web page: Workshops and Concerts 2017
Facebook: Creative Music Studio
Twitter: @CreativeMusicNY


February 2017

ISSUE Project Room —
The Necks 30th Anniversary Concert Series March 2017

$5,000

Website: Issue Project Room
Web page: The Necks 30th Anniversary
Twitter: @issueproject
Instagram: @issueprojectroom


February 2017

Microscope Gallery —
2017 Event Series Sponsor

$6,000

Website: Microscope Gallery
Web page: Microscope Gallery (upcoming events)
Facebook: Microscope Gallery
Twitter: @MicroscopeEvent
Instagram: @microscope_gallery
See previous awards:
RDBF grant 2014
RDBF grant 2015
RDBF grant 2016


February 2017

Intakt Jazz Festival —
London April 2017

£2,000 and Wire Magazine March 2017 Advertisement

Website: Intakt Records
Web page: Intakt Festival 2017
PDF: Wire Magazine
Facebook: Intakt Records
Twitter: @intaktrecords


February 2017

Gebhard Ullmann —
Travel Expenses for Vision Festival 2017

€1,000

Website: Gebhard Ullmann
Web page: Vision Festival 2017


February 2017

Tomas Fujiwara —
Double Trio Debut Recording

$1,500

Firehouse 12 Records Fall 2017 release with Ralph Alessi and Taylor Ho Bynum on trumpet/cornet, Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook on guitars, and Gerald Cleaver and Tomas Fujiwara on drums.

Website: Tomas Fujiwara
Website: Firehouse 12 Records