Presented in part with a generous grant from the American Oriental Arts Foundation Alice Liu, Executive Producer 25-30 June 2015 UN General Assembly Hall NYC venues The global event celebrating the 70th Anniversary of the Signing of the UN Charter We The Peoples
Nations United in Song - New York Times Electrifying, inspiring, in good taste, everything! Wow! - Alexandru Ciorobea, Permanent Mission of Romania to the UN Nowhere was the richness of choral expression and intercultural goodwill more evident. - International Choral Bulletin Fabulous performance by the Rhythms of One World choirs! - Kofi Annan Foundation An undeniable hit with the UN and locals alike! - UN Special, September 2014 Issue An amazing musical experience! - Jo Masters, President County Town Singers from Canada
THE RHYTHMS OF ONE WORLD 2015 Join the 70th anniversary celebration of the United Nations, The Rhythms of One World International Choral Festival. The Rhythms of One World (TROW) is an annual global event that celebrates the signing of the UN Charter. In 2015, it will be held in New York City on June 25 to 30. June 26, 2015 marks the 70th year since 50 countries around the world signed the Charter We the Peoples that lays the foundation of the United Nations institution. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon recently announced UN70, the global commemoration of the anniversary, which aims to unite Member States, global civil society, and the many individual women and men working in common cause to enable a strong UN to realize a better world. (Source: UN News Centre) A Weeklong Celebration of Harmony in Diversity Endorsed by various Member States with Lead Endorser, the Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations under the leadership of Her Excellency Ambassador Simona-Mirela Miculescu, and produced by Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, Inc., TROW aims to promote a symphony of intercultural understanding and global cooperation through the common language of music. The Festival provides the opportunity for singers from cultures around the world to share, celebrate, and participate in a life-changing choral music experience. With the festival becoming an international spectacle, choristers and aficionados across the globe eagerly anticipate the event every year. After a successful celebration in Geneva, Switzerland in 2014, the festival returns to New York with a special edition event in Ireland in 2015. 1
A Vision to Unite Voices Supporting the UN s Goals As the Festival commemorates the anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter, TROW 2015 is in line with the goals of UN70. FAF Artistic Director YinChu Jou shares TROW s vision: To unite voices from across the globe, while also celebrating the United Nations birthday, referring to the signing of the UN Charter We the Peoples. Since its world premiere in New York City in June 2012, the festival was headlined as New York s largest global choral event. TROW culminated with a closing concert at the UN General Assembly Hall, where diplomats from across the globe offered their support and endorsement for these efforts. The Festival has enabled a new thinking about the role of the arts and culture within the UN system, as celebrated with esteemed colleagues at the UN, hundreds of young voices from different continents, and thousands of spectators in New York City and around the world. 2
New York s First and Only International Choral Festival It is a great pleasure to welcome everyone to the Rhythms of One World International Choral Festival, hosted by Friendship Ambassadors Foundation. With performances at venues across Manhattan, a concert commemorating the anniversary of the signing of the United Nations charter, and a variety of workshops offered throughout the week, this festival is a wonderful opportunity for residents and visitors alike to celebrate the cultural diversity that makes our City so great. - New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (2012) During its 2012 premiere, over 10,000 spectators attended the weeklong Festival in Manhattan. The Opening Concert in Avery Fisher Philharmonic Hall received a great review in a New York Times article entitled Nations United in Song. The Closing Concert at the UN General Assembly Hall was attended by over 2,000 UN officials, Ambassadors, UN staff and friends, and was broadcasted worldwide live in Manhattan via UN TV, on Time Warner Cable. The webcast can be found on the UN website. Television Reach As seen in: Good Morning America with 5M viewers Today Show with 4M viewers Broadcast Frequency United Nations Channel n Time Warner Cable 4x a day for the whole month of July n Web TV 24 hours a day Social Media Impressions n Facebook (During the Festivals) Ave. of 1000 Post Reach n YouTube: 88,721 Lifetime Views n Twitter: 10, 789 Total No. of Followers 3
4 Artistic Management and Direction Festival Artistic Director and Emmy Award winning composer Gary Fry declared that, The Rhythms of One World is unique in its goal to bring together choirs from around the world in a non-competitive festival that takes place in some of the most exciting venues imaginable. Festival Manager and FAF Artistic Director Yin-Chu Jou explained the vision for the Festival as exploring the role of music as the universal language, promoting intercultural understanding, brotherhood, and peace between nations. The Festival will bring together youth and adult choirs from all continents, performing indigenous folkloric singing often peppered with choreography, regional sacred, contemporary, and even national pop choral music in this rare, vocal celebration. FAF Executive Director Patrick Sciarratta considers TROW as the embodiment of all that is vital and important about Friendship Ambassadors Foundation as it exemplifies [FAF s] main mission and goals. High Caliber International Choirs The festival features a select group of exceptional international choirs that stage world-class programmes, which include choral works in folklore, regional sacred, contemporary, national pop music, and many more. From 2012-2014, the festival featured high-caliber international choirs from different nations from seven continents such as South Africa, Trinidad & Tobago, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, USA, Australia, Romania, New York, France, and Switzerland. A Global Event Held in World-Renowned Venues Festival concerts have taken place in world-renowned venues such as the United Nations General Assembly Hall, Lincoln Center Avery Fisher Philharmonic Hall, Merkin Hall at Kaufman Center in New York City, among others. Additional performances have taken place at Consulates and other great venues.
TROW Sponsors and Partners from 2012-2014 n Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations n Pemanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations n Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago to the United Nations n Permanent Mission of the United States of America to the United Nations n Permanent Mission of South Africa to the United Nations n Embassy of South Africa in Washington, DC n Embasy of Australia in Washington, DC n Consulate-General of the Republic of South Africa in New York n Consulate-General of the Republic of Trinidad & Tobago in New York n Royal Norwegian Consulate-General in New York n Confederation Swiss / Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) n The Republic and State of Geneva n Ville de Genève n The Romania-Switzerland Chamber of Commerce and Industry n Chorale du Châble, Haute Savoie, France n Kearsney Foundation n University of Kwazulu-Natal Foundation n The Scandinavia House n Faust Harrison Pianos n The Luxembourg-America Chamber of Commerce With the endorsement of: n Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations n Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations In cooperation with: n United Nations Department of Public Information n Kofi Annan Foundation n ITU International Communication Union n United Nations Choir and United Nations Music Club in Geneva n Geneva International Summer Festival & Music Academy n Geneva Amateur Operatic Society n Young Audiences New York n JAS Productions n Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew n Le Cirque In collaboration with: n Lycée Français de New York n Bryant Park Corporation n Sony Atrium
Produced by Friendship Ambassadors Foundation, Inc. A not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c)3 cultural exchange service organization Global Headquarters: 299 Greenwich Avenue Greenwich, Connecticut 06830, USA Phone: (203) 542-0652 or 622-7420 Fax: (203) 542-0661 Toll-free: 1 (800) 526-2908 General Information: The Rhythms of One World: TheRhythmsofOneWorld2015@faf.org Festival Manager: Yin Chu Jou, yinchu@faf.org f: facebook.com/therhythmsofoneworld t: @TheRhythmsof1World YouTube Channel: youtube.com/friendlyam www.trow2015.nyc Presented in part with a generous grant from the: America Oriental Arts Foundation Address: One Rockefeller Center 10th Floor New York 10020 Phone: (646) 722-2889 Fax: (646) 722-2901 E-mail: aoafinc@hotmail.com w Photo credits: UN Photo/ Dmitry Popov w Graphic Design: Jeanina Casusi w Logo Design: Stephen Jou & Kris Jou