Early Music Access Project sparks meaningful connections among audiences, musicians, community partners, and artistic collaborators by presenting accessible, engaging performances that infuse the experience of early music with contemporary relevance.

EMAP was founded by artistic director David McCormick in 2017 to explore the connections between various styles, including medieval, Renaissance, baroque, new music composed for old instruments, and folk music. EMAP collaborates with non-classical musicians, visual artists, dancers, actors, storytellers, and a variety of other creative individuals. 

EMAP's live concerts have included a collaboration with Charlottesville-based Victory Hall Opera and a hip-hop dance crew, a medieval meditation program inspired by the writings and music of 12th-century nun Hildegard von Bingen, and programs of both sacred and folk music from Monticello inspired by David McCormick's research as a fellow at the International Center for Jefferson Studies. That research also led to the creation of a downtown Charlottesville walking tour highlighting the lives of Monticello's Black fiddlers. EMAP has commissioned new works by James Dargan and Jonathan Woody to contextualize the complex history of these Black musical traditions.

Among EMAP's virtual offerings are the Expanding the Narrative web series highlighting Black music in early America and a livestreamed concert of Appalachian tunes and stories. EMAP also partnered with filmmaker Eduardo Montes-Bradley and banjo sensation Rhiannon Giddens for the documentary Black Fiddlers. Released in 2022 through online and in-person screenings, it was an official selection of the Virginia Film Festival and is now being shown on PBS stations nationwide. 

EMAP has appeared at Bloomington Early Music Festival, Indianapolis Early Music Festival, Early Music Seattle, Amherst Glebe Arts Response, and Shenadoah Unviersity’s Bach-Handel Festival.

Sheila Arnold is a world-renowned professional storyteller, character interpreter, and teaching artist currently residing in Hampton, VA. Through her company, History’s Alive! Sheila has provided storytelling programs, historic character presentations, Christian monologues, dramatic/creative writing workshops, professional development for educators and inspirational/motivational speeches at schools, churches, libraries, professional organizations and museums, in 36 states since 2003. She is also a sought-after historical consultant for museums and exhibit designers helping to develop engaging stories from historical documents, artifacts, buildings and the historical use of land and water. 

Benjamin Hunter is Artistic Director of Northwest Folklife, is a Seattle-based creative and cultural interpreter and advocate, and an award winning multi-instrumentalist and composer. As co-founder of ventures like Black and Tan Hall, The Hillman City Collaboratory, Community Arts Create, and The Rhapsody Project, he builds artist-led ecosystems that blend performance, peacemaking, and cultural equity – redefining how folk traditions scale and evolv in contemporary markets. Through his music, Benjamin attempts to connect his lived experiences and admiration for world music into one musical language, scanning the margins and nucleus alike for stories and intersections where humanity converges.

David McCormick is a multi-instrumentalist, scholar, and educator recognized for curating imaginative performances, creating educational opportunities for students of all ages, and guiding prominent arts organizations through the challenges of our time. David is executive director of Early Music America, where he is working to create a more inclusive, equitable space for all who engage with historical performance. As artistic director of Virginia-based Early Music Access Project, David plays baroque violin, vielle, and rebec, and transforms thoughtful research into dynamic programming. David is a founding member of medieval ensemble Alkemie, with whom he has appeared at Indianapolis Early Music Festival, Music Before 1800, Amherst Early Music Festival, and the Berkeley Festival. He is a 2020 and 2026 Fellow of the Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies.