Project Details
| The Exchange will have two ongoing elements: a PenPal Exchange that encourages written conversation between students and professional musicians representing a range of ages and experiences, and a culminating concert bringing together participating students and musicians from around New York City on March 28, 2009 at The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College in Manhattan. | |
 | PenPal Exchange Program Each student will have the opportunity to exchange three letters with their mentor from the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas during the two months prior to the culminating performance. Pen pals will be able to meet in person at a meet-and-greet reception before coming together for their first joint musical rehearsal. Two days later, the pen pals will perform onstage alongside each other in the final performance of The M.U.S.I.C. Exchange, artistically sealing the bond that they have created through their letters. "My aim in ... life is to become a dentist and help for the poor, sick and orphans, but I am not sure to reach up to my goal. However, I will try up to my level best."—From a letter by a student from the IRC youth program "My parents and my younger brothers and sisters live in a refugee camp. I miss them a lot. They have a difficult life. I want to help them, and I want their live to become better"—From a letter by a student from the IRC youth program |
 | The Final Performance Bringing students and musicians together onstage, the culminating performance is a special opportunity for personal expression, and a chance to strengthen and continue relationships begun in the PenPal Exchange. Academy fellows Caitlin Sullivan and Leah Swann will prepare their students for this concert over three months leading up to it. Meena Bhasin, Sullivan, and Swann began preparatory work with the refugee youth in October 2008 and will continue through the final performance. This performance will consist of 3 works: Keystone Work: The final composition on the program will be Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez, a piece reflecting the vibrant rhythmic gestures of Spanish dance music. Danzón No. 2 will be the source of both the musical and conceptual inspiration for the entire program. Collaborative Work: Teaching artist Justin Hines will guide the refugee youth in creating this composition, to be performed with five wind and brass players from the POA. The melodies, rhythms, and conceptual themes of Danzon No 2 will serve as the inspiration for the creative ideas, themes, and lyrics of this piece. Side-by-side work: Students from PS 153 in Harlem and Long Island City High School will perform an original work by composer and arranger Lev Zhurbin (left), who will write the piece with the form and style of Danzon in mind. Learn more » |
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Partners
 | Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas Under the artistic vision of its Music Director Alondra de la Parra (left), the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas (POA) stresses the importance of high-caliber music from Latin America and the rest of the world. The POA sees itself as a laboratory for artistic expression, embracing its responsibility to support promising young performers, composers, instrumentalists, conductors, and other diverse artists. Above all, the POA recognizes the need for breaking boundaries and stereotypes of the traditional concert format to renew the relevance of symphonic music in everyday life. |
 | The International Rescue Committee The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is a global network operating in 25 countries, and includes first responders, relief workers, healthcare providers, educators, and volunteers working to provide emergency relief, relocate refugees, and rebuild lives in the wake of disaster. Founded in 1933, the IRC provides access to sanctuary and sustainable change, and has been involved in emergency relief, rehabilitation, protection of human rights, post-conflict development, resettlement services, and advocacy for those uprooted or affected by violent conflict and oppression. |
| Partner Schools Located between Long Island City and Astoria in Queens, New York, Long Island City High School has about 3,300 students, and boasts its own swimming pool and a renowned culinary arts program. Principal William Bassell is devoted to supporting the arts at the school, which has a highly developed theater and visual arts programs, as well as a history of successful choir, band, and orchestral performances. Students at PS 153 in Manhattan are exposed to a wide variety of artistic disciplines, dual language classes, and other special programs, in addition to having access to a program for gifted and talented individuals. Teachers at PS 153 are dedicated helping students gain the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to be successful throughout their professional lives. |
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Fellows
 | Violist Meena M. Bhasin has performed throughout the US, Japan, China, and Israel in such venues as Lincoln Center, the United Nations, the Hammerstein Ballroom, and Mann Auditorium in Tel-Aviv. She received instruction and guidance from Itzhak Perlman at the Perlman Music Program that led to engagements including an appearance with Mr. Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, and the Israel Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. In 2007 Meena completed a dual degree program at Tufts University and the New England Conservatory where she was the recipient of the 2006 Presser Award. Her teachers have included Patinka Kopec and Martha Strongin Katz. Meena hopes to forge a career that uses music to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue. As part of her fellowship program, Meena teaches in Brooklyn at PS 282 |
 | Cellist Caitlin Sullivan is a winner of numerous prizes and awards, and has performed extensively in North America and beyond. She has collaborated with groups such as the Argento New Music Project and the Iris Chamber Orchestra. Most recently, Caitlin was the second-place winner of the 2008 William C. Byrd Young Artists Competition. As a winner of the 2006 Artists International Audition, she gave a Carnegie Hall solo recital debut. Committed to outreach and music education, Caitlin has been a teaching artist for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and a faculty member of the Belvoir Terrace summer performing arts camp in Lenox, MA. She has also taught in the pre-college division of The Juilliard School. Caitlin received her bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music where she studied with Steven Doane, and her master's degree from The Juilliard School where she studied with Timothy Eddy. As part of her fellowship program, Caitlin teaches in Manhattan at PS 153. |
 | Violist Leah Swann maintains a varied career in New York that includes orchestral playing, chamber music, freelance writing, and arts administration. In 2007, Leah graduated from the New England Conservatory where she studied with and assisted Martha Katz. In New York, Leah performs regularly with the Orchestra of St Luke's and the New York City Ballet, and joined NYCB for its summer season in Saratoga Springs. She has also performed under James Levine, Bernard Haitink, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos. Leah graduated from Yale University in 2003 with a bachelor's degree in English, and holds a keen interest in bringing music into communities and schools. A recipient of an Albert Schweitzer Fellowship from 2006 to 2007, she designed and taught music classes in South Boston. As part of her fellowship program, Leah teaches in Queens, at Long Island City High School. |
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