Community Arts

While there have been many good Songs of Hope projects, this was one of our best in terms of artistic quality and artistic experiences provided to audiences. In a few other years, we've had a few more countries but with very talented young performers from Italy, Russia, Argentina, Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica, Turkey, Israel, Vietnam, and China, we were able to give our audiences a good slice of music from other countries to enjoy, digest, and learn from. Moreover, the concert program was well-paced with good variety in the kinds of songs, in the accompanying dances and movement, and in the mix of vocal parts. Audiences at most concerts gave a standing ovation and in post-concert feedback reported a satisfying and unique artistic experience. Overall, there were 72 performers on stage, including 39 new performers aged 8-14, 15 performers returning from past years, 5 adults from five different countries, 5 interns aged 16-18, and 8 staff members aged 18 and above. The company learned and performed 35 songs from 14 countries in 10 languages. Framing the global musical selections were English language songs selected to accomplish certain goals: a medley of songs about rain and sun just to get audiences thinking about the effects of climate change on water resources around the globe, songs with messages about people getting along and living peacefully, a song by a Hmong-American composer to remind audiences that people in the United States come from many different backgrounds, etc. The most common audience reaction: In these troubling times with recent events like the Orlando shootings, the bombings at the Istanbul airport (which occurred just nine days after our Turkish performers went through the same airport), and the Nice truck attack (which occurred the day after the father of one of our Italian staff members was in Nice), the messages of Songs of Hope are more needed than ever. The project reached exactly the mix of the twin Cities community that we proposed. This included adults with developmental disabilities at three agency locations, seniors in five nursing homes, low-income and new immigrant families at four concerts in Saint Paul, two workshops for at-risk youth, and concerts in four suburban locations. The audience at Phalen Lake (through a partnership with East Side Arts Council) grew, as did the audience at a North Dale location. Diversity goals were met though we are in discussions about increasing youth outreach in 2017 and 2018. Overall, the following outreach goals were met: people with disabilities, seniors, low-income audiences, new-immigrant participants, and general audiences. We would like in have at least two more concerts for suburban audiences in 2017 and 2018. 2,200 people attended 16 concerts and activities in diverse venues. 4 youth from new-immigrant families participated in the project and performed on stage.