PRESS CLIPPINGS
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CASE STUDIES
Bucklesweet has worked with the American Pianists Association (APA) for two years on overall brand positioning and event-specific press outreach. The organization has the distinction of hosting the American Pianist Awards, a year-long competition unique in classical music both for its extensive adjudication and its support of young pianists, offering the winner a prize valued at $100,000, which includes a cash prize, recording contract, two years of professional development and assistance, and performance opportunities worldwide. The awards culminate in a week of performances, residencies, and community outreach. To broaden the reach of the awards, in 2017 Bucklesweet led the charge in using social media to live stream select performances via APA’s social media channels, amassing over 10,000 views over the course of the week. We also partnered with leading American piano maker, Steinway & Sons, to “host” the Monday night new music recital on their Facebook page, which received over 13,200 views. Leading up to the recital, 2013 Awards winner Sean Chen took over Steinway’s Instagram page to introduce each of the five finalists in a fun way, creating buzz for those tuning into Steinway’s Facebook Live concert the following night. Additionally, Steinway shared the Awards finals both Friday and Saturday night.
In honor of J.S. Bach’s birthday and the release of violin prodigy Michelle Ross’ all-Bach recording, Bucklesweet worked with WQXR-FM, the primary classical music radio station in New York City, to have Michelle appear live on their Facebook page to perform Bach and be interviewed. The video has been viewed more than 30,400 times.
In 2017, Washington Performing Arts and The Kennedy Center presented the inaugural SHIFT Festival (SHIFT), convening American orchestras for a week of residencies and performances at venues across Washington, D.C. Bucklesweet led promotional and media outreach efforts for SHIFT, resulting in extensive coverage from national media outlets such as The New York Times, the New Yorker, The Washington Post, and Symphony. Bucklesweet also mediated communication between the presenting partners and guided promotional efforts from all participating orchestras, connecting with in-house publicists and marketers to ensure consistent messaging and successful outreach in markets across the country.
Seeking out of market exposure, Bucklesweet secured placement for the Virginia Arts Festival (VAF) in travel and tourism publications such as AAA World, Amtrak Arrive, and Virginia Living. The firm also spearheaded a concentrated effort to write and repurpose editorial content for VAF, securing placements in Virginia Choral Directors Association magazine, the American Choral Directors Association magazine, American Organist, and the Virginia Music Educators Association magazine