Essay and TV news story

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy posted on their blog this essay I wrote about Cultures in Harmony's recent project in Pakistan. From that same project, you can now watch a great TV news story about our February 18 concert in Karachi with musicians from the National Academy of Performing Arts including FEW the band. I enjoyed watching this story, although I think there are two mistakes. The YouTube link clearly states that I performed in Lahore; it was in Karachi. Also, I don't understand Urdu, but I believe the host refers to me as "US-based." Actually, I am based in Afghanistan, although I am American.

Teaching positions in Iraqi Kurdistan

The University of Sulaimani in Iraqi Kurdistan is seeking qualified teachers of violin, viola, and cello for the 2012-2013 academic year. Candidates should have a PhD or Master's degree in their instrument. The contract would include at least a one year residency in Sulaimani, which is located in a very safe region that has not been subjected to the violence that has existed in other parts of Iraq. The contract includes two plane tickets home per year. For more information and to apply, please e-mail Bakhtyar Hussain.

Speaking as someone who has taught for 2 years in Afghanistan, and who knows musicians who have taught in Iraqi Kurdistan for short periods, I can testify to the strong possibility that this will be an outstanding opportunity to make a difference while building bridges across cultures. Iraqi Kurdistan has been described to me by people I trust as a place of safety, history, and great beauty. In New York in November, I heard some violinists from there who were brought to the US by American Voices. Those violinists were outstanding, and if they are representative of the talent in Kurdistan, these teachers will have a great experience indeed.

International Freedom of Expression Forum

The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, Germany, a frequent partner of Cultures in Harmony, is pleased to announce the International Freedom of Expression Forum, which will take place in Berlin (in their headquarters and in the German Parliament) from the 28th of February until the 2nd of March 2012. For more information about the agenda and the speakers of the conference, please click here. Here is an extended article with more information about the forum.

We hope that all people living near Berlin will take advantage of the opportunity to attend this forum. Additionally, we will post at this blog a link from which the forum will be live streamed.

Pakistan trip and Afghanistan jobs

I am now back in Afghanistan teaching at ANIM after an exhilarating and life-changing week and a half spent on a CiH project in Pakistan. The focal point of that project was a concert last Friday with musicians from the National Academy of Performing Arts; you can read Dawn's review here and the Daily Times' review here.

I had a great time reconnecting with old friends and collaborators, such as the vibrant and invaluable Children's Academy of Performing Arts, which offers music, theater, and dance lessons to Karachi's young children. I also loved meeting new artists whom I admire tremendously. First, I must mention Usman Riaz, one of the few people I've met who deserves the "genius" moniker. He has reinvented guitar technique while simultaneously pushing the boundaries with his innovative and powerful paintings. Check out this interview with Usman, which includes the video of his incredible composition "Firefly," which has attracted over 150,000 YouTube views.

Next, I was very impressed to learn about the MAD School. Founded by Nida Butt, the MAD School has many important projects, including a series of music classes that they offer to underprivileged children from the Lyari neighborhood of Karachi. However, what really blew me away was the musical "Karachi," which Nida and her husband Hamza Jafri created: Nida directed, co-produced, and choreographed, and Hamza composed and arranged the music. This musical does for "Karachi" what the musical "Chicago" did for Chicago: it creates a glamorous, gritty tale filled with catchy tunes and dance numbers. You can see a news story about it here; here is a look behind the scenes.

I firmly believe that if this musical were to open on Broadway, not only would it be a big hit, but it would also radically change American perceptions about Pakistan. This musical, and the stunning virtuosity and creativity of Usman Riaz, should be what people think of when they think about Pakistan.

My final day in Karachi was particularly thrilling: together with F.E.W. the band, we performed at an orphanage run by the Edhi foundation and at Dar ul Sukun, a home for the mentally and physically disabled. It is difficult to explain in words the impact of performing at these places. I am still processing the experience and will soon write an article for a cultural diplomacy publication, focusing on these performances. I will post a link to that article at this blog when it becomes available.

Now that I'm back in Kabul, I'm hard at work preparing for a big concerts here. In the meantime, any cellists, saxophonists, and guitarists who are interested in changing the world by teaching in Afghanistan should apply for a job at ANIM. Apply by following the instructions at these links:

Guitar job

Cello & bass

Saxophone

Islamabad concert live streamed

Last night in Islamabad, Pakistan, I had a great time performing at Nysa Lounge with a wide variety of musicians, including performers of rubab, sarangi, tabla, djembe, flute, sax, and guitar. A young, hip audience packed the low-key venue. I am very grateful to host Junaid Malik for organizing the event ! In case you missed the concert, it was live streamed, and is now archived, by the cool folks at Mantis Live.

Now I'm off to Karachi for more cultural diplomacy goodness. Elsewhere in CiH news, this article about the post-revolutionary arts scene in Tunisia mentions Cultures in Harmony and quotes me.

In Pakistan

On Wednesday, nearly 600 people crammed into the French Institute of Afghanistan in Kabul to listen to the gala concert concluding the Second Annual Afghanistan Winter Music Academy, a project of Afghanistan National Institute of Music. It was thrilling to hear the explosive standing ovation that followed my arrangement of Ravel's Bolero as performed by the Afghan Youth Orchestra, which I also conducted. I am so proud of all my students! Read more about this event: US Embassy Press Release and Xinhua article (Chinese news agency, English version)

Now, I am switching gears as I begin a ten-day trip to Pakistan to plan for Cultures in Harmony's big project there later this year. I have been in Islamabad for less than a day and have already enjoyed jamming with local musicians and re-visiting some of my favorite cafes and restaurants from the first two CiH projects here (in 2009 and 2010).

If you want to know what cultural diplomacy can look like, a great place to start is this documentarya that aired nationally on Pakistan's Dawn News in 2009 about our first project here. As I plan for future work, I hope that we can build on this past success to create an even greater impact as we use the map music provides to chart our way from heart to heart.

Sing Egyptian Women

Please take a moment to click the link and VOTE in this special program/contest helping young women in Egypt to raise their voices and share their ideas with the world.

You just need to be logged in to FB, then watch, listen, click "vote" and share the link. You can vote once a day until March 2nd.

Please support these young women by voting then forwarding this link to others. Posting this link to your FB page or Twitter feed will be a tremendous help as well. Thank you!

Please take a minute to listen to these incredible young Egyptian women, and vote for YOUR favorite in the SING EGYPTIAN WOMEN LET THE WORLD HEAR YOU contest. You will then help one of these young women to elevate her voice, and have her ideas and songs heard in Egypt. Also, each contestant has a chance to win an expenses paid trip to NYC to tell the world her story and meet with press and mentors. Best of all, she will record a single with well known producers / song writers about what it's like to be a young woman growing up in Egypt. The winner will then return to Egypt empowered to encourage more young women to raise their voices. She will release her song written and recorded in New York, potentially on Nile FM (Egypt’s largest radio station reaching 18-20 million listeners).