News

Maldives And Sri Lanka: Hip Hop And Contemporary Broadway

Nov 1, 2013 |

Sri Lanka Hip HopThe Rhythm Nation Hip Hop Dance program brought workshops and performances to the sunny shores of The Maldives as well as to the misty highlands of Sri Lanka from October 30 to November 10.

The Maldives: The capital city of Male’ was the setting for a Maldives-America friendship week celebrating 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. As part of the festivities, American Voices was asked to devise a Hip Hop dance program for Maldivian youth. Approximately fifty youth participated in these dance and music workshops over a one week period and an amazing amount of talent poured forth onto the stages of Male’. Other project partners included the National Center for the Arts and the Youth Center of Male’.

Sri Lanka: The American Voices trio spent one week in the capital city of Colombo and the central highlands city of Kandy, famous for its traditional dance and music. In addition to a rousing grand finale concerts in Colombo’s Town Hall, the program included several days spent with dance and music students in an arts center in a renovated tea plantation outside of Kandy. Though students of traditional dance, these young people took to the Hip Hop styles with gusto and put on an excellent show in Kandy.

Many thanks to the US Embassy Colombo and our project partners in Male’, Colombo and Kandy for their support of this project.

Hiplomacy Tour to Hit East Coast this October

Sep 17, 2013 |

We are excited to welcome First Step Iraq, comprised of dancers and rappers from our YES Academy Iraq, to the U.S. this fall! First Step Iraq will make performance stops in New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Detroit and Boston as part of a “Hiplomacy” tour.

Kurdish Music at New England Conservatory

Nov 8, 2012 |

New England ConservatoryThree of American Voice’s scholarship students from Iraq were invited to the New England Conservatory to present workshops on Kurdish and Iraqi traditional music for the World Music program.

John Ferguson and Marc Thayer spoke on Cultural Diplomacy and Engagement with students and faculty of the Conservatory.

China: Jazz Bridges Western China

Nov 1, 2012 |

Jazz BridgesJazz Bridges project in May with Uighur traditional musicians in Urumchi, China

The Mike Del Ferro trio (with Scott Amendola, drums and Paul Berner, Bass) toured Uighur Western China for one week in May 2007. Under the auspices of the US Embassy in Beijing and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the American Voices artists were teamed up with a remarkable Uighur traditional music duo comprised of Ejek and vocalist. Highlights of the program included Ellington’s ‘Caravan’ with an enthusiastic Ejek improvisation and Uighur Makkams sung by Mr. AbdulKerim. Also remarkable was our performances at the Teacher’s College in Urumchi where over 500 students crammed into a space seating 200 and stood on each other’s shoulders for two hours to get a closer glimpse of their first jazz concert!

Links to videos of this project in You Tube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p13-gegbva8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62dvjmznV14
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8pVhNsW2sh8

Abdurehim Heyit: Ketmaydu

Havikoro Breakin’ In Georgia, Bulgaria, Italy And Greece

Oct 1, 2012 |

HavikoroIn three weeks, HaviKoro of Houston toured four countries in Eastern and Western Europe reaching hundreds of thousands in Georgia, Bulgaria, Italy and Greece with their amazing Break Dancing skills.

Georgia: Highlights of the tour were workshops and performances in the regional cities of Kutaisi, Rustavi and the capital, Tblisi. The extensive media coverage included Rustavi2 TV’s ‘Good Morning Georgia’ show reaching an estimated hundreds of thousands of viewers.

Bulgaria: Next stop on  the tour was Bulgaria where, on their first day in Sofia, HaviKoro appeared on ‘The Slavi Show’ which is the country’s equivalent of the U.S.’ Jay Leno show. Subsequent performances took place in Smolyan and Plovdiv with a final gala performance in Sofia at the National Theater.

The Italian program was centered on outreach to immigrant and low-income communities in the suburbs of Rome and Naples. Workshops took place at the Amaldi High School in the Roman suburb of Tor Bella Monaca as well as at the High School for the Performing Arts. The gala concert took place in the Parco Della Musica’s Sala Petrassi for an audience numbering in the thousands. HaviKoro proceeded on to Naples where they hit the ground running with a performance and discussion session with students of the Garibaldi High School in one of Naples’ roughest neighborhoods. The Naples program concluded with a workshop at the Accademia della Spettacolo.

The Greek program began in Sparta in a joint performance with the Sparta B-Boys outdoors in Sparta’s main square. In Athens, HaviKoro performed at the ACS Arts Center alongside an extensive line-up ofGreek Hip Hop groups such as Phyron Son, Sub Zero, Tag Ram and Breakers Without Fear. The following day a workshop was offered in the same venue. The Greek program concluded in Thessaloniki at the YMCA with the local dance group Totally Reality with  the mayor in attendance. A final workshop was offered the next day to the Thessaloniki International Dance Club.

Jazz Bridges Pakistan

Feb 1, 2012 |

Jazz Bridges PakistanJazz pianist Mike Del Ferro toured Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi with noted Pakistani traditional and rock musicians

Mike Del Ferro spent five days in four of Pakistan’s main cities performing with Pakistani traditional, pop and jazz musicians. The concerts took place on a variety of radio and television stations (Citi FM 89 Islamabad and MTV Karachi)  as well as in concert venues such as  the National Library Auditorium in Islamabad, the Fatima Jinnah Women University in Rawalpindi, the Alhamra Art Center in Lahore, The National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi, the Karachi Marriott Hotel and at the U.S. Consulate Consul General Residence in Peshawar. Through the media broadcasts and live performance many thousands were reached with the important message of mutual understanding and tolerance expressed through the Jazz Bridges program concept.

Russia: Moscow Conservatory Choir With Ira Spaulding

Jan 25, 2012 |

Moscow ConservatoryIra Spaulding conducts and solos with the world famous Moscow Conservatory Choir under the leadership of Boris Tevlin

American conductor and singer Ira Spaulding was invited to a return engagement conducting the Moscow Conservatory Choir at the U.S. Embassy’s Spaso House on January 23 in a concert featuring Russian folk songs and African-American spirituals.

The Spaso House concert honored the 75th birthday of the choir’s distinguished conductor, Boris Tevlin. Ira Spaulding was also the featured guest at a jubilee concert for Tevlin on January 24 at the Moscow State Conservatory. The Spaso House audience included many members of U.S. university alumni clubs active in Moscow and alumni of American universities.

Abdellah El-Miry Trio In St. Louis

Sep 19, 2011 |

In December 2011, Morocco’s internationally renowned Abdellah El-Miry Trio was hosted in St. Louis by American Voices. The ensemble was sent by the US Embassy in Morocco to study American bluegrass, as well as to perform a series of musical workshops. The Abdellah El-Miry Trio held a workshop and performance for new immigrants to the St. Louis area at the International Institute of St. Louis. They also performed for the children of the St. Louis Language Immersion School. In addition, the ensemble performed a concert with The Saint Louis University String Orchestra at St. Francis Xavier College Church, as well as a concert at The Tavern of Fine Arts.