El Sistema

This outstanding article about Gustavo Dudamel and the Venezuelan system of youth orchestras describes the extraordinary impact music can have outside the concert hall. This inspiring story is a must-read for anyone who doubts the ability of Western classical music to be a powerful political and social tool in the twenty-first century.

Yes, cultural diplomacy works both ways

I have occasionally been asked if people we meet on Cultures in Harmony projects are as eager to extend the hand of friendship as we are. I find this a strange question, since the answer is, of course!

As an example at a very grand scale, check out this article about a spectacular new university started by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia. Some may snidely suggest that the king is only trying to one-up Qatar's Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser, whose Education City is an outstanding effort to bring to the Gulf world-class university education, with its attendant ethos of academic and intellectual freedom. Yet we need both efforts, for both Arab leaders are guided by a desire for different cultures to come together, learn, and teach in an open and welcoming environment, with the betterment of humanity as their goal. Far too few initiate such projects in the heated atmosphere between Islam and the West.

May these two royals inspire their people and all of us to reach out.

New name

As of today, October 24, 2007, Music for the People will be known as Cultures in Harmony. Due to the prior existence of Music For People, we have been driven to pursue a name that more accurately identifies our mission and one that can be uniquely associated with our international work.

We are proud to identify "Cultures in Harmony" as our new name. It calls attention to the meaning behind the phrase "cultural harmony" while playing on the meaning of harmony as both musical and political concord. Meanwhile, the inclusion of "cultures" in the name emphasizes that cultural diplomacy is the cornerstone of our mission.

In order to ensure that our image retains a personal touch, we have adopted a motto phrase: "We bring people together through music."

We have also acquired a new e-mail address: culturesinharmony@gmail.com. By January 1, 2008, we hope to launch a new website, but for the time being, the current website has been revised to reflect the name change.

The culmination of this process will be our incorporation as an independent non-profit, but in the mean time, we are happy to remain fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, which means they will accept all donations on our behalf. If you are applying to participate in our 2008 projects, the application fee must still be made out to Music for the People.

We apologize for any confusion caused by the name change, and invite you to contact us with any questions.

Wonderful news from Zimbabwe

I just received a fantastic report from Dr. Solomon Guramatunhu, our host in Zimbabwe, a renowned ophthalmologist, and head of the non-profit Eyes for Africa, which provides eye operations to Africans who cannot afford them. Here's his report:

"Greetings from Zimbabwe! I salute you for your wonderful programme Music for the People. Sarah and co. were simply marvellous. They were wonderful guests.The concert was a big success. We cannot wait for next year. Proceeds of Zim $130 million raised at our concert resulted in 145 rural people regaining their sight."

That bears repeating: as a result of the benefit concert our musicians gave in Harare in August, one hundred forty-five people regained their sight. This is just one of many instances from the past summer when MFTP was able to make achieve significant humanitarian goals while bolstering the image of the U.S. abroad. Please help us return to Zimbabwe next year by making a tax-deductible donation to Music for the People.

Frequently asked questions

To answer questions commonly posed by applicants, I have added a frequently asked questions page. It is normally accessible via the application.

Applications now accepted for Music for the People

More information is available here. The deadline is November 30, 2007, for all projects in 2008. Good luck!