LYNX Project

Description

LYNX Project is a Chicago-based art song organization that amplifies diverse voices through new song commissions, inclusive concerts, and innovative educational programming. Founded in 2015, LYNX prides itself on directly connecting communities to high-quality artistic performances by incorporating their own voices within the works performed. LYNX’s Amplify Series is the first art song initiative to feature the poetry of nonspeaking autistic individuals through new commissions. Beautiful small things, LYNX’s debut album featuring selections from the Amplify Series, was released in March 2022 .

Championing emerging and established performers and composers, LYNX offers meaningful artistic opportunities and fosters connections between artists and communities with little access to the arts.

In addition to performance initiatives, LYNX is passionate about educational opportunities. In Composition of a City, LYNX’s free virtual curriculum, classical and hip hop artists co-teach a songwriting curriculum for teens, empowering them to create original poetry and music.

Work Sample

This song cycle features words by nonspeaking autistic poet Benjamin Smidt, and music by Chicago composer Michelle Isaac. The work was commissioned by LYNX Project for our 2020-21 Amplify Series commission cycle, and is performed here by LYNX artists Daniel Baer and Nicholas Ward. Within this series, we offer workshops, classes, and inclusive performances.

This is the intro video for our free online songwriting curriculum, Composition of a City, featuring co-leaders, Aasha Francis and Olivia Doig. Within this curriculum, we send in our artists to visit classrooms for one-time or on-going workshops, and offer performances that co-feature professional classical and hip hop artists.

This is a performance of "Hold Fast to Dreams" by Florence Price, presented by Leah Dexter and Daniel Baer for our Composition of a City: Digital curriculum. This songwriting curriculum empowers teens to share their stories through the creation of original poetry and music, and  is used in classrooms across Chicagoland and beyond. The program is a collaboration between classical artists and hip hop artists in Chicago. This is one song sample from the curriculum, and the total running time of this song is 2 mins.

The work samples submitted represent our content in our two primary programs.

History

LYNX Project is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that amplifies diverse voices through new song commissions, inclusive concerts, and innovative educational programming. Founded in 2015, LYNX prides itself on directly connecting communities to high-quality artistic performances by incorporating their own voices within the works performed. LYNX’s Amplify Series is the first art song initiative to feature the poetry of nonspeaking individuals with autism through new commissions. beautiful small things, LYNX’s debut album featuring selections from the Amplify Series, was released in March 2022 .

Championing emerging and established performers and composers, LYNX offers meaningful artistic opportunities and fosters connections between artists and communities with little access to the arts.

In addition to performance initiatives, LYNX is passionate about educational opportunities. In Composition of a City, LYNX’s free virtual curriculum, classical and hip hop artists co-teach a songwriting curriculum for teens, empowering them to create original poetry and music.

Artistic Vision

LYNX prides itself on working directly with communities and amplifying their voices, to give them a stake in the art that we create. Concert experiences are inviting of all audience members, but are particularly directed toward the communities represented within the music. 

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

Our Amplify Series is created with and for the nonspeaking autistic community, and we have an Amplify Series advisory council of nonspeaking autistic individuals who advise us on matters pertaining to the presentation of this work. Our performances in this series welcome a neurodiverse audience, as well as the general public, and we provide a myriad of accommodations that serve this community including sensory accommodations in the performance space, a sensory retreat area outside the space, and social narratives.