The Glenn Gould Foundation, in partnership with the Aga Khan Museum, proudly announces it will be presenting an extraordinary series of concerts for elementary, secondary and high school students during The Promise of Music: The First World Congress on the Social Impact of Music. The landmark event celebrates the transformative power of music and advocates for universal access to music education.
As part of this historic congress, a curated educational program will be offered for free to students across the York, Peel, Halton, and Toronto District School Boards, as well as across Canada through a digital education platform. A series of concerts and Q&As will take place at the Aga Khan Museum’s world-class theatre as well as directly in schools, with live-streamed performances connecting students nationwide – from coast to coast to coast. Students will experience performances by some of the most inspiring international ensembles and artists and have an opportunity to learn more about their cultural traditions, creative practices, and the powerful role of music in fostering dialogue, understanding, and global citizenship.
Performers include:
Soloists from the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura (Paraguay), who famously craft instruments out of garbage to bring music to life. Formed in the impoverished Paraguayan town of Cateura in 2007, the Recycled Orchestra is the fruit of a program designed to provide young people orchestral training, and the rich life skills that come with it, all fueled by the joy of music.
Dubbed “the Landfill Harmonic,” the ensemble’s instruments are amazing re-inventions, created using materials salvaged from their town’s one industry, an enormous landfill. Cellos are fashioned from oil drums, saxophones made from drainpipes, drumheads from old X-films. The Recycled Orchestra is transformation incarnate, both turning garbage into an orchestra and lives of hopelessness into ones of inspiration and purpose. The ensemble has toured the world, even performing with Metallica and Stevie Wonder, and the subject of a new musical debuting next year, Basura, by Gloria Estefan.
Lil Buck, is a world-renowned dancer, choreographer, entrepreneur and advocate for the arts and humanities, who weds Memphis Jookin’ with ballet to create a powerful, original dance style all his own. He has worked with Madonna, Usher, Alicia Keys, Yo-Yo Ma, Lizzo, Janelle Monáe, Wynton Marsalis and Cirque du Soleil as well as collaborations with Versace, Chanel, Nike, Apple and others. The Lil Buck Foundation provides arts education and mentorship opportunities to underprivileged youth. His story is featured in the documentary Lil Buck: Real Swan and Netflix’s MOVE.
Afghan National Institute of Music, a beacon of resilience and cultural preservation. Soon after the Taliban’s initial withdrawal in 2001, Dr. Ahmad Sarmast founded the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) in Kabul, and against all odds, a global phenomenon was born. Tirelessly working to reverse years of Taliban efforts to eradicate a glorious centuries-old musical culture, Sarmast and his unrelenting teachers created a school offering lessons to disadvantaged children including orphans and girls. Not even a suicide bomber during a student concert, in which Sarmast was critically wounded, or the Taliban’s decree banning music entirely and forbidding expression by women, could silence ANIM, now continuing its mission from exile in Portugal. Their world tours have included sold out shows at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.
Plus:
· Lara Somos Vocal Ensemble (Venezuela)
· The Mully Family Children’s Choir (Kenya)
· OrKidstra
· Firdaus Orchestra
· The Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC)
· Sinfonía por el Perú
For the complete schedule, tickets, and more information, please visit: www.promiseofmusic.com
