With the belief that chamber music in small communities deserves support, Midori took the $50,000 she won as part of the Avery Fisher Prize in 2001 and established a new organization, Partners in Performance. The raison d'être of the organization is to stimulate and reinforce local interest in recitals and chamber music, especially in smaller communities without the advantages of large urban centers, which are automatically included in every major concert tour. To the winning applicant organizations, Partners in Performance awards a recital donated by Midori -and often a Young Artists Program recital by a rising star - to be played as part of the winning organization's regular season. The winning organizations supply a modest fee to cover administrative costs, and all the proceeds from the concerts are used by the community to support its classical music programs. Midori has encouraged other established artists to participate in Partners in Performance, and in the 2009-2010 season pianist Jonathan Biss joined the team. This season, Partners in Performance will sponsor concerts by Midori in Columbia, Kentucky and Fallon, Nevada (www.pipmusic.org).