A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR!

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR!

Dear Nief-Norf Family,

Thank you for being such a vital part of the Nief-Norf you know and love. Your support as a donor has helped make so much possible — nurturing adventurous artists, championing bold ideas, and building a one-of-a-kind community. I’m incredibly honored to now serve as Executive Director, and I don’t take this responsibility lightly.

As I step into this role, I’m incredibly excited for the opportunity to guide Nief-Norf into its next era of growth — deepening impact, expanding our community, and continuing to foster the innovative spirit at the heart of everything we do.

Transparency and accountability are key values in my vision for Nief-Norf’s future. You deserve to know exactly how your generosity is making a difference, and I’m committed to ensuring you do!

Thank you for believing in Nief-Norf’s work ~ I can’t wait to share what’s next.

Yours in ‘Norf,
Alexandra Dally :)

p.s. If you didn’t receive a hand-written letter from me, I don’t have your address on file! If you don’t mind, please include that information in the lil contact form at the bottom of the page — I promise we’ll only bother you with mail once or twice a year! :)

2025 & BEYOND SNEAK PEEK

LOCAL

2 0 2 5 - 2 0 2 6 S E A S O N

  • Make Music Knoxville, performing at the Knoxville Museum of Art

  • Knoxville Broadcast by Lisa Bielawa, presented by Big Ears

  • Sonic Scribbles events throughout the fall & spring

    • Our youth initiative where we introduce students to different types of notation within graphic scores, help them create their own graphic score & interpret it, and then lead a lil improv jam session! We are hosting this event at NNSF25 in partnership with The Joy of Music School and Community School for the Arts, and I’m excited to take it into Knox County Schools & more!

  • Fall 2025 Knoxville Concert — TBD

  • Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night for December’s First Friday

  • Spring 2026 Community Event @ IJAMS Nature Center

    • This interactive event will feature everyone’s favorite….flower pots! Nief-Norf performers will showcase several pieces that include flower pots, and then allow participants to roam through the trails, where flower pots & implements will be stationed all around. As people play, a unique soundscape will be created throughout the woods. We also might be aiming for a Guinness World Record for most flower pots played ~ more on that soon!

  • Nief-Norf Summer Festival & SYNNERGY 2026

    • As NEA has highlighted priority for projects that celebrate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026, I leaned into that a bit in our grant proposal in hopes of any chance at funding (more on that below). NNSF & SYNNERGY 2026 will celebrate America, but our narrative is one that focuses on the tapestry of voices, histories, and perspectives that define this country. We will be telling a rich story through contemporary music that highlights the interconnectedness of musical ideas across borders, rejecting exclusionary narratives in favor of a vision where diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential forces.

    • SYNNERGY will continue to grow each year, with plans for more research presentations, concerts, panels, all-play events, interactive masterclasses, installations, alumni ensemble showcases, & more!

2 0 2 6 & B E Y O N D

  • High School Contemporary Chamber Ensemble

    • Under the direction of our co-artistic directors, this extra-curricular ensemble will be available to high school students of any instrumentation throughout Knoxville. They’ll gain exposure to contemporary music, collaborate with a composer for a commission, perform a concert each fall & spring, and so much more!

  • Knoxville Concert Series (hopefully including performances at Big Ears!)

  • Inuksuit performance every 5 years on its anniversaries

  • Expansion of our administrative team, including co-artistic directors, a communications manager, a production manager, an administrative assistant, & more!

  • Continued growth of NNSF & SYNNERGY :)

NATIONAL

2 0 2 5 - 2 0 2 6 S E A S O N

  • International Call for Scores 2026

    • Accepting multimedia works, and compositions for 3 or more of our faculty instrumentation!

  • Nief-Norf Community Scholarships

    • Nief-Norf Summer Festival: Available to anyone applying to NNSF, this scholarship fund will support fellows coming to our festival!

    • Other Music Festival: Available to all NNSF alumni, this scholarship fund will support their attendance at another contemporary music festival!

    • Career Development: Available to all NNSF alumni, this scholarship fund will support a professional creative project or continued education in music!

  • Indianapolis & NYC Community Reunions

  • Phil Kline’s Unsilent Night

    • I am planning to expand the cities Nief-Norf hosts Unsilent Night in by 1-2 each year, beginning with partnerships in Johnson City & Chattanooga for 2025, and then expanding outside of East Tennessee!

2 0 2 6 & B E Y O N D

  • Digital Community

    • Open to all alumni, faculty, students, and new music enthusiasts, this community will be a hub for contemporary music — discussion forums, networking, resource libraries, webinars, and so much more!

  • National Concert Series

    • I’m really excited to expand our concert reach outside of Knoxville….we have such a vast community all over the nation, and I can’t wait to collaborate year-round for events!

  • Performance(s) at PASIC

  • Podcast…? I haven’t made up my mind on this one yet, because I’d like to make sure it has a very clear purpose and value. Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in and what you might like to hear!

  • Alumni Ensemble Support

    • Again, we have such an incredible network of NNSF alumni, many of whom are doing amazing things (starting their own ensembles, performing internationally, etc.). I’d love for Nief-Norf to support these initiatives, providing a launching pad for alumni chamber ensembles to gain mentorship, recognition, & potentially financial support from us to start out!

  • Mini-SYNNERGY Weekend Retreats

    • This one would be way far out in the future, but it would be incredible to host mini versions of SYNNERGY in different regions once or twice a year! Just trying to think big :)

WHY NOW?

Arts funding is under threat — again. As you may have seen, the proposed elimination of the National Endowment for the Arts would be a devastating blow to artists and organizations across the country, especially those working at the experimental and emerging edges, like we are. While we have not received NEA funding previously, I did submit the application for the first time this spring. We were able to request up to 50% of our NNSF26 budget ($88k), but there’s an unfortunate chance the grant might not exist by the time awards are announced in December. As mentioned above, I leaned into their funding priorities in the hopes that we get even a sliver of that $88k. But, it’s definitely not something I can count on.

In good news, the City of Knoxville and the Tennessee Arts Commission does an incredible job at supporting the arts right here in East Tennessee. I’m beyond thankful to call Knoxville our home in a time like this.

Nief-Norf was built on bold ideas and community trust. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, we’re not just looking to sustain what we’ve done — we’re building toward a future that’s even more dynamic, inclusive, and artist-driven. That means growing our programs, deepening our impact, and ensuring the next generation of creative risk-takers has the support they need.

This donor drive is about more than just funding a season. It’s about launching the next era of Nief-Norf — one rooted in curiosity, care, and long-term vision.

We can’t do it without you.

20 YEARS OF ‘NORF — BY THE NUMBERS

  • FACULTY & GUESTS

  • WORLD PREMIERES

  • KNOXVILLE EVENTS

  • CFS SUBMISSIONS

  • COMMUNITY MEMBERS

  • PIECES PERFORMED

  • NNSF ALUMNI

  • SUMMER FESTIVALS

  • UNSILENT NIGHTS

  • GRANTS AWARDED

RECURRING DONATION NOTE

I am always striving to pay our artists even better, while lowering the cost of tuition for our larger programs, like NNSF. Additionally, making the decision for all Knoxville events to be free & open to the public from now on presents its own financial challenges, but ones I’m willing to take on to provide accessibility to new music within our local community.

Like any organization, we have year-round overhead costs to keep our operations running. I’d like to highlight the impact a monthly or annual donation of any amount can have in our long-term sustainability and planning by sharing amounts for just a few of our recurring expenses.

$336.35 - monthly rent & internet for our office downtown in the Emporium Arts Center

$561.84 — total annual cost of operational systems (bookkeeping, website, domain, payroll, & productivity software)

$2,250 — average cost per NNSF fellow

$3,000 — average cost per downtown event

$3,500 — average cost per NNSF faculty

$5,000 — total monthly salaries for our (upcoming) team of five, all part-time

THANK YOU FOR READING :)

I would love to connect with you, and am available any time to answer questions, receive feedback, or hear about ways you’d love to see Nief-Norf grow. Feel free to email, call, text, or fill out the lil form here — whatever is most convenient for you!

adally@niefnorf.org
(865) 773-4399

Again, if you didn’t receive a hand-written letter from me prior to our June 2025 Donor Drive, please provide your address if you’re comfortable doing so.