Welcome to American Voices
We are in Pakistan now and have just finished up an amazing week of musical theater and drama in Karachi. Pakistan is rapidly revealing its rich cultural tapestry with myriad theater, dance and music groups. Currently we are working with a social theater group that is producing plays written to counteract radicalization among Pakistan's youth. It is an honor to work with so many dedicated young artists. Everywhere we have been, we have met dedicated actors who have given up their '9 to 5' banking or engineering careers for a life in theater. We are looking forward to our tour in Pakistan for the next three weeks and the upcoming YES Academy season that will take us to Thailand, Burma, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq. The diversity and demographics of Pakistan are amazing with over half the population under 25. Our radio and television broadcasts are regularly heard by millions and we are pleased to be able to reach so many with our dynamic message of youth empowerment through the performing arts.
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This past summer saw a rapid expansion of our YES Academy education project from one program in Iraq to four throughout the Middle East and Central Asia. For the summer of 2010, more expansion is planned to Egypt, Syria and Burma! Stay tuned.....We also began to distribute the truckloads of music donated for these programs by Alfred Music Publishers to institutions in Iraq, Egypt, Lebanon, Afghanistan and beyond. Please support our efforts to bring these much-needed educational programs to youth in critical countries. |
For photos, videos and more information please visit our satellite websites in Iraq and Lebanon, download or subscribe to our newsletters or visit our YouTube channel where you may find playlists devoted to our recent YES Academy performances at the Cairo Opera House, Peshawa Hall in Erbil, Iraq and the Faqra Club in Lebanon. Photos of these and other recent teaching and performance activities may be found on the Projects page of our website. You may also enjoy watching our recent coverage on CNN's 'Inside the Middle East'.
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Finale of Jazz and Dance Gala |
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Since 1992, our mission has been to further the appreciation and understanding of American music and culture, especially in developing countries, countries emerging from conflict or periods of isolation and those lacking opportunities for cultural exchange and dialogue with the United States.
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CoCo York Sings Traditional Song |
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Jazz Mugham Baku: |
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In October of this year, we began a special appeal to raise funds for our YES Academy 2010 summer programs. Please make a pledge and join Friends of American Voices to help further our goal of providing quality cultural exchange, training and inspiration to youth in these countries emerging from conflict or isolation.
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Thank you for your visit and we hope you will choose to support us in our efforts to bring dynamic American cultural engagement to audiences worldwide. John Ferguson |
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