In March 2012, Found Sound Nation team members Chris Marianetti and Ricardo (Luss) Nigaglioni were invited to Camden, South Carolina by chamber music ensemble The Declassified. The Declassified was founded in 2011 by alumni of The Academy – a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute. After leaving these programs the musicians were inspired not only to keep playing together but also to create an entrepreneurial model for artists who want to meaningfully engage with society. Needless to say our collaboration was a natural fit.

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We met several of the members of The Declassified (D/C) through our work with Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections program and found an immediate connection. Our collaboration with D/C was the brainchild of cellist extraordinaire Claire Bryant who grew up in Camden and has been running an annual residency program there for professional musicians and youth. The project seeks to bring together high school students from various schools in an attempt to look past the cultural and economic differences students face and bond through the creation and performance of original music.