The MUSIC Exchange
A new organization funded in its inaugural year by the Academy — A Program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and The Weill Music Institute (under the auspices of a “second-year fellow project”), The M.U.S.I.C. Exchange is an organization and project that I have founded with colleagues Meena Bhasin and Caitlin Sullivan. The mission of The M.U.S.I.C. Exchange is to facilitate a musical and literary collaboration between children and professional musicians, creating a union of diverse ages, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds. The project was born of the idea that music can make possible an exchange of perspectives that can provide a deeper understanding of the surrounding world. In 2008-09, The M.U.S.I.C. Exchange will present a project that facilitates an exchange of personal experiences through musical expression and written word, which will culminate in a final performance on March 28th of 2009 in the theater of El Museo del Barrio (104th and 5th Ave). This performance will bring students and musicians together onstage, and will consist of three works that reflect the project’s activities. Primary participants in this final performance include NYC public school students and teachers from PS 153M and LICHS; refugee high school students participating in the International Rescue Committee (IRC) weekend program; Alondra de la Parra and members of the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas (POA); and members of The Academy.
In addition to the final performance, an important aspect of the project is the PenPal Exchange. The PenPal Exchange is meant to facilitate a relationship between students and young professional musicians who represent a diverse array of age and life experiences. During this component of the project, paired students (from the DOE and the IRC) and POA musicians will exchange 3 letters prior to the final performance. At this final performance, the Pen Pals will perform onstage alongside each other, musically sealing the bond that they have created through written word. A Meet-and-Greet event prior to the first joint rehearsal will allow the Pen Pals to meet in person before coming together onstage.
The performance event in March will consist of 3 works: a collaborative work composed by refugee students from the IRC and performed by them their Pen Pals from the POA; a side-by-side work featuring students from DOE public schools sharing stands with their Pen Pals from the POA; and Arturo Marquez’ Danzon No 2 as a keystone work performed by a chamber orchestra from the POA. This final piece is central to both the final performance and the entirety of the project: musical and literary themes from Danzon will inspire all other aspects of the project. The side-by-side work will be composed by Lev Zhurbin for the students and POA members, and will reflect musical elements of Danzon in its composition. The collaborative work – including instrumental, percussive, and vocal sections – will be composed by the refugee students under the guidance of Teaching Artist and composer Justin Hines, and will also be inspired rooted both conceptually and musically by Danzon.
We welcome any suggestions, ideas about future supporters, dreams of collaborating with us for the next M.U.S.I.C. Exchange project, and certainly your presence at our final performance in March!