OUR STORY
Our story is one of resilience, collaboration, and unwavering dedication to creating a better future for every child. At Harmony Project, our journey began in 2001 with a simple yet powerful idea: to provide music education and social services to children in under-resourced communities. Founded in Hollywood, California, we started as a small music education program housed within the walls of a local church. With a vision for a better and more prosperous Los Angeles, a group of forward-looking philanthropists came together to lay the foundation for our organization's work.
Bob Forst, Margaret Martin, Howard Banchik, Susan Plutsky, Tony Silbert, and Tim Smoot were the founders of this vision, and their commitment and passion set the stage for what Harmony Project would become. With their guidance, we opened our doors and began offering tuition-free music education programming to 36 students from the Hollywood area. Little did we know that this humble beginning would be the start of something truly transformative.
Co-founder Margaret Martin became our first executive director in 2001. Martin, one of Harmony Project’s fiercest early advocates, envisioned the organization as a public health intervention to invest in children through the study, practice, and performance of music. In 2002, Phoenix Delgado assumed the executive director position as he was instrumental in the continued development and growth of the organization. Phoenix founded the Harmony Project’s Summer Festival Orchestras, the Hollywood Youth Orchestra, and also helped form the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s EXPO Center Youth Orchestra as part of Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA).
In 2006, Myka Miller became the new executive director, bringing a deep understanding, vision, and insight to the organization as a trained professional musician, having spent several years playing in orchestras in Mexico. Under her leadership at Harmony Project, Miller launched new initiatives and nurtured cost-sharing partnerships with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Unified School District, LA City College, the Sheriff’s Foundation and many other community organizations and school districts.
Since 2021, Harmony Project has been under the leadership of Executive Director Natalie Jackson. She arrived at Harmony Project in 2009 and became associate director in 2012. With strategic vision and unwavering dedication, Jackson has successfully navigated our organization through a health pandemic while cultivating a thriving community of young musicians and increasing Harmony Project’s visibility through nationwide campaign partnerships with Levi’s and The Hershey Company. Harmony Project stands as a testament to the transformative power of music education as the program has increased from 250 students to over 4,103 students served across Los Angeles. Over the past two decades, we have expanded our reach, impacting the lives of thousands of children in under-resourced communities. Through our holistic approach via comprehensive music instruction and social service offerings, we empower students to develop essential skills, build character, and unlock their full potential.
As we continue to grow and evolve, we invite you to join us on this incredible journey. Your support and involvement are crucial in shaping a brighter future for our young musicians.
Together, we can make a lasting impact and create a harmonious world where every child has access to a music education.