I have seen first hand how Projeto ViDançar has changed lives of children and families living in one of the most vulnerable and dangerous neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro. A true spark of life and opportunity. 

The lives and health of our parents depends on us taking advantage of the new abilities of AI and science to keep them healthy and active.  We need to educate the public of the new reality and new possibilities for harnessing the wisdom and experience that comes with time... helping it be exercised from a place of health and vitality!  I'm doing this for my mom and dad!

Meeting the world class dancers & seeing the incredible performances  on the Queen Mary Atlantic crossing was the highlight of our voyage 
Although I live in California , I m trilled to become a patron to support the mission of the English National Ballet . .


Cape Towm Opera is inspirational, both in providing world class entertainment and the positive contribution to the community. 

With thanks to Niall & Rosemarie Gallagher, who introduced us to the Cape Town Opera, a highlight of our trip to South Africa. We look forward to the day that the Opera can come to Montreal, so that we can spread the word in Canada.

Kathy and I gave because we want to offer opportunities for children to enjoy palying music.

Rachmaninoff has been one of my all time favourite composers and it is heartening to see that memory remains steadfast and his music remains a star in the musical firmament. 

Through dance and art, Vidançar brings education to children and families in vulnerable neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro and Bahia.

The Associacao de Apoio e Fomento a Economia Criativa is a organization that promotes  artistic, cultural and scientific programs and act in various artistic spheres such as theater, music and dance.

One of the projects that we host is Vidancar initiated by Ellen Serra, a lawyer and cultural producer,  who hired a teacher to give classical ballet lessons to the first 14 students, residents of Complexo do Alemão. Thus Vidançar was born, with the aim of transforming lives through dance. The Vidançar Project was a pioneer in requiring vaccination cards, proof of school enrollment, attendance and the presence of guardians in order to build education as a tool for the students' personal growth.

The project took a life of its own, and by 2011 there were 90 applicants. The space provided by the Nova Brasília Residents' Association became too small. More than 1,000 children and young people have passed through Vidançar in its almost 13 years of existence! Today, there are more than 600 students, residents of communities not only in the Complexo do Alemão, but also Duque de Caxias, Espírito Santo and  in the Bahia, where it serves indigenous communities. In addition to Arts and Culture, Vidançar's pillar is Education, offering classes in ballet, tutoring, audiovisual, storytelling, English, Spanish, chess and singing workshops. Since 2013, Vidançar has been preparing its students for major auditions at the best schools in the country and some internationally. The project has already placed more than 50 students in professional dance centers, including the Bolshoi School; and the Brazilian Dance Conservatory. One of the students who took his first steps in the project é today professional dancer with the Tivoli Ballet Skole in Denmark.

"I was a victim of pedophilia from the age of five to 12. I got pregnant at 16 and became a mother at 17, having to give up my dream of working with the arta. After an attempted femicide, I separated at the age of 23, with a lot of pain to deal with. In 2001 I met my life partner, who gave me two more incredible children! But I also lost my father and fell into a state of depression... in December of that year, a good friend invited me to the Complexo do Alemão. [CPX, one of the largest favelas in Rio de Janeiro] and I never left. In 2005, I started doing voluntary social work and CPX saved my life. In 2006, I graduated in Law and worked as a lawyer for 14 years, alongside my volunteer work in the favela. I became a cultural producer by training and vocation, because the soul of someone who loves culture never gives up! After five years of social work, I realized that it was very important to support children in the area in building dreams and changing lives. My three children inspired me on this path of transformation through art and education and so, in 2010, the Vidançar Project was born. Ballet as a source of cultural knowledge, art, strengthening self-esteem and self-care has become the most beautiful path to this transformation that I wanted so much!" Ellen Serra, lawyer, cultural producer, founder and CEO of the Vidançar Project

Vidançar Women's Network

In 2021, the ViDançar Women's Network was born, a women's empowerment project that brings together sewing workshops and conversation circles, with the guidance of a volunteer social worker. The initiative was born out of attentive listening to the women of Complexo do Alemão, who brought their sons and daughters to the Vidançar Project's dance and education workshops. They said they wanted to "improve their lives", "earn my own money", "get rid of my violent husband", "take care of myself and be beautiful again". The Vidançar team felt the need to create a space to listen to these women that could welcome them. - them, but also a movement of empowerment and strengthening so that together these women can find community solutions to generate income and flee domestic violence.  Many lives have already been transformed by the Network. One of our students was in a serious situation of domestic violence. With the support of the Women's Network, it was possible to get her out of the state, allowing her to have a new life, with her children. Artists Zélia Duncan and Elymar Santos are sponsors of the Network. The Vidançar Women's Network received a donation of semi-professional sewing machines from singer Elymar Santos, who helped the team get the project off the ground. Singer Zélia Duncan, an institutional supporter of the Vidançar Project, also supports the Network and the space where the activities take place has been named the Zélia Duncan Room - Vidançar Women's Network, with the singer's presence at the inauguration of the space!

The project plans to increase its education offerings in the more vulnerable and remote locations it currently operates in Bahia, while also providing basic food security to students. All ViDançar students come from vulnerable communities, but in the Bahia location access to basic services is further diminished by its distance from major cities. For 2024 ViDançar plans to offer monthly basic staples' baskets to each family, hire a full time counselor and teacher dedicated to that locality alone.

Another project for 2024 is to hire teachers who are currently working on a volunteer basis, to guarantee uninterrupted service to children and their mothers.

Projeto Vidançar (AFEC - Associação de Apoio e Fomento à Economia Criativa)

Inspiring a Cultural Change to Transform Human Health

**ALSAE'**s (pronounced "All Say") is a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to unite longevity science and the arts through collaborations with creators and scientists, inspiring cultural change and accelerating progress in curing age-related diseases—such as Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular disease, and cancer—ensuring everyone can enjoy longer, healthier lives.

Alliance for Longevity Science, Arts & Entertainment

From our inception in 1950, English National Ballet’s mission has been to take world-class ballet to the widest possible audience, whether around the UK, internationally or online.

We celebrate classical ballet, forge innovation with daring new work, develop and deliver sector-leading outreach programmes, and pioneer digital content. We collaborate with the very best choreographers, designers and ballet coaches from around the world. The quality of our work has been recognised through success at the Olivier Awards and National Dance Awards, and consistently by our critics and audiences.

As a registered charity, we need to raise £3.2 million ($4.3m) each year to deliver world-class ballet to the widest possible audience. Your donations support the creation of new work, the reinvigoration of beloved classics, the delivery of outreach programmes such as Dance for Parkinson’s, the health of our dancers and more. 

Should you like to discuss supporting English National Ballet with a philanthropic gift, you can contact Angeliki Alexandri, Head of Major Giving (email: [angeliki.alexandri@ballet.org.uk](mailto:angeliki.alexandri@ballet.org.uk) // tel: +44 020 7590 2910).

English National Ballet 

We are the only continuously active professional opera company on the African continent. 

Celebrating 25 years in 2024, Cape Town Opera's vision is to sustainably produce opera of the highest artistic standard, thereby safeguarding opera as part of South Africa’s cultural heritage and providing an aspirational internationally recognized and enduring platform for Africa’s world-class singing and creative talent.

The organization's schedule features a diverse and thrilling repertoire, encompassing opera, operetta, and musicals. It is dedicated to providing unparalleled skills development and hands-on training to aspiring young artists from various regions in the country. Cape Town Opera’s 2024 programming will be balanced and strategic, with a stellar line-up of singers for onstage operas in theatre and unconventional stages.

Equally important are our Youth Development and Education program. We continue to invest in our youth and ensure that they have the opportunity to pursue professional careers in the performing arts.

Cape Town Opera 

The mission of Shelter Music Boston is to provide access to the dignity, creativity, and passion of classical music to those who are homeless.

Shelter Music Boston presents classical chamber music concerts in area homeless shelters & recovery centers. The concerts, performed at regular intervals to the highest artistic standards, promote community, creative interaction, and therapeutic benefit.

Shelter Music Boston

Since 1968, providing quality fine arts experiences for students and our community through our summer camps and year round events.

Shell Lake Arts Center Inc

The Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation carries Rachmaninoff's music, legacy and artistry out into the world from his house, Villa Senar

History: Thanks to the commitment of the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation, discussions among the artist's heirs were successfully concluded in 2021. The Canton of Lucerne purchased the listed property and is responsible for the maintenance and renovation of the house and the surrounding park. The Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation is responsible for the programs and cultural events at Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar, wit-hout any financial support from the Canton of Lucerne. 

VILLA SENAR is the name of the artist house of the composer, conductor, pianist, Hollywood star and family man Sergei Rachmaninoff (SE=Sergei, NA=Natalia, R=Rachmaninoff). Expelled from his native Russia, the artist lived in exile in various countries from 1917 onwards. On the Hertenstein peninsula near Weggis in the canton of Lucerne, he found a new home and renewed creative energy.  



Our mission as a foundation is to create international awareness for Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar and to develop and establish its artistic program over the coming years and make an artistic contribution to the region and beyond. We want to communicate Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar as a cultural and educational center with a broad partici-pation with the highest quality standards from home. 

Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar locally and regionally and, together with partners, posi-tion the Hertenstein peninsula as a special and sustainable place of art and culture. Attention will also be paid to international activities, as the name Rachmaninoff is a global trademark. 

The magic of the place, its uniqueness and class should continue to shape the fu-ture; we always want to treat the soul of Senar and the Hertenstein peninsula near Weggis with respect. 

Performing and communicating Sergei Rachmaninoff's work at his former place of residence. His personality, his interests, his musical depth, his role models, visions, zeitgeist, curiosity for new and unusual things, enthusiasm for technology, architec-ture, literature, poetry and art form the foundation of the cultural program. 

Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar is a place of inspiration and home. The aura of this cen-ter (family home/meeting place/garden and nature) and the creative power can be experienced and experienced on site during a visit. The real presence, the quality and authenticity of the location and content, and the intensive time spent at Villa Senar make every visit unique and, in this sense, special for every visitor. 

The cultural program is designed for broad cultural participation, seeks the inter-faces to the present and enables suitable, fine, subtle, high-quality approaches for every target group. 

As an artists' residence, Villa Senar offers a home for all generations and different disciplines. Sergei Rachmaninoff was a family man and patron of all the arts, uniting art and people in his home through his charisma, his values and his interests. 



PROMOTION: Website, program sheet, word of mouth, channels of our partners, allies and sponsors, regionally via associations and public institutions, volunteers, friends and Rachmaninoff fans.

NEED: In the oversupply of leisure activities, the oversaturation of a variety of offers, a discomfort with high culture, perceived barriers and associated fears of not under-standing something in the music and culture sector, couch coziness created by Co-vid, we need new formats that convey closeness to people in a relaxed, fresh and un-conventionally conventional way. We offer a feeling of home, a sense of arrival, a kind of cultural exile within your "own four walls". 

TARGET GROUPS: The projects are tailored to specific target groups and/or are aimed at cross-generational, broad and public participation: 

Children Educational and participative projects with the Weggis music school and the music schools of the canton of Lucerne. Interdisciplinary theater, music, dance, light and sound: Gänsebliemli im Rosengarten, SENAR ARTS ACADEMY, SENARADEN im Park & Boot, Carte Jaune for the talent promotion of the Lucerne music schools

Senior citizens Cooperation with the senior citizens' universities of Lucerne, Weg-gis, Zurich, Basel, cultural associations and service clubs. 

Youth premieres and co-development of new music. Inclusion of virtual reality, augmented reality and new media. Up-to-date, close and at eye level. Sustainabi-lity programs, new regional policies for the promotion of the community. We deal with questions about the future and are committed to values and meaningfulness. 

Young adults and families SENARaden in the park or on the boat, exhibitions, sound walk, art exhibitions in the park with an out-door stage created by spatial designers for Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar. Picnic openair, barrier-free and relaxed, Celebrating Rachmaninoff Podcast in collaboration with Decca Classic and WFMT Radio Chicago, RACHMANINOFF ECHOES - The staging of Rachmanin-off's artifacts in his villa using virtual reality and augmented reality.

Afficionados and Afficionadas-To-Be concerts, residencies, master classes, workshops, public expert tours - thematically coordinated, film: The Alchemy of Piano Playing, jazz evenings, literature & music, competitions and commissioned works on Rachmaninoff.



CHANCE: Potential, unique location, curious people, Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar has not been open to the public until now, the house belongs to the Canton of Lucerne, this partnership needs to be well positioned in the long term, we start "from scratch" and can react optimally to current events, small team, manageable size of the venue, small, fine, barrier-free, approachable, potential outdoors, involvement of the region, already established partnerships and strong allies, agility through rapid decision-making and a doer mentality of the people involved, network. Rachmaninoff as a mil-lennium pianist, Hollywood star, family man, composer, conductor, promoter of the arts and mobility, speed freak, entrepreneur, architect is attractive, his music appeal-ing and is the perfect music to introduce an audience to "classical music" and open up new audiences. 



RISK: A good financial basis must be established, project-based financing, provisions should be made to enable long-term planning, partnership with the canton without a performance mandate and financial support, demands from the canton of Lucerne, few personnel resources, reliance on voluntary commitment which can also slow down processes, recruitment of voluntary work, establishment in uncertain times, consumer behavior of the public has changed, planning uncertainty.

INDICATORS regular evaluation, experts on the voluntary Board of Trustees with regular exchanges, partnerships with know-how, demanding and quality-conscious advisors/friends/network. 



NETWORKING: Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar sees itself as a networker and meeting place, with freedom for the special, the new and the tried and tested. Projects with our partners: Lucerne Festival, Lucerne Theater, Lucerne University of Applied Sci-ences and Arts - Music, Tourism, Engineering, Business, Architecture, Design & Art, Lucerne Museum of Transport, Hans Erni Museum, Weggis Music School, Lucerne Cantonal Music Schools, Lucerne Symphony Orchestra, schools, Stella Matutina House of Education - House of the Future, Baldegg Monastery, Senior:inside univer-sities, IG Kultur (Freie Szene), Richard Wagner Museum, Saint Charles Hall, Künst-lerhäuser global, Library of Congress Washington, Philadelphia Orchestra, Van Pelt University Philadelphia, National Symphony Orchestra, Swiss Embassy in Washing-ton, Interessengemeinschaft Musikstadt Luzern, Zurich Opera, Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Lucerne Tourism, Switzerland Tourism, artists, associations and allies, sponsors and patrons. 



The nucleus and center of the events are Rachmaninoff's Villa Senar and the park. Due to the limited space available, we also use the venues of our partners as satelli-tes. We strive for broad participation, want to connect cultural institutions via Lake Lucerne, create national attention and deepen international relationships. 



MANAGING DIRECTOR: The Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation has employed the Managing & Artistic Director, Andrea Loetscher, since June 1, 2022. As a musician with a teaching diploma and soloist diploma, a master's degree in mar-keting and management from the University of Basel, as an entrepreneur and music school director, she has local roots and a national and international network. In 2024, she will also complete an MBA in Business Development & Marketing at the Univer-sity of Basel. The Managing Director is supported in financial matters by Ludwig von Mutius, economist, financial consultant and former CFO of major international com-panies. Ludwig von Mutius makes his expertise fully available to the Serge Rachma-ninoff Foundation on a voluntary basis. In addition, the Serge Rachmaninoff Founda-tion has employed the Managing Assistant, Salome Rüttimann, on a 40% basis since 1.1.24. Volunteers for concert support, guided tours and other work. 

 Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation

We plant the seeds of freedom by cultivating students' creativity and harvesting mutual empathy for a peaceful, prosperous future.

[**Rai·son d'ê·tre**](https://icaf.org/about/why-icaf)

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit with EIN 52-2032649, ICAF has served American children since 1997 as their national arts organization. ICAF seeds their imagination, cultivates creativity, and grows mutual empathy among them (for “a more perfect union”) and with their peers worldwide (for a peaceful future).

Creativity is now more crucial than ever before as a career skill, while empathy is considered humanity's survival skill. 

What young people contribute or create in their lives depends on their self-identity. The development of a holistic student identity underlies ICAF’s theory of change.

Through its free school art program, ICAF promotes the Artist-Athlete Ideal, which embodies a creative mind and a healthy body (*mente sana in corpore sano*). This holistic identity awakens a student's dormant “inner artist” or the slumbering “inner athlete,” helping mitigate obesity risks and creativity slumps.

At its World Children's Festival, ICAF's methodology infuses creativity with empathy, motivating students to become "creative empaths" who can work together to shape a brighter future.

[**Research & Publications**](https://icaf.org/resources/publications)
ICAF’s seminal research has been published in several leading journals, including [The Lancet](https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673606699157.pdf) and [Dynamische Psychiatrie](https://icaf.org/resource/pdfs/CreativeEmpaths.pdf). Since 1998, ICAF has published the ad-free quarterly, the ChildArt magazine. Please preview the [AI & Art ](https://www.icaf.org/AI&Art/)magazine and the [Human Security ](https://icaf.org/resource/flipbooks/HumanSecurity/)magazine.

[**The Arts Olympiad**](https://icaf.org/mission/arts-olympiad.)
ICAF’s Arts Olympiad has evolved over the years into the world’s largest school art program. Its structured lesson plans culminate in art contests on the theme "My Favorite Sport." ICAF selects the most exceptional artworks and invites the young Artists-Athletes as delegates to the World Children’s Festival. The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee has granted ICAF an exclusive license to utilize the "Arts Olympiad" mark.

The 7th Arts Olympiad, currently taking place in the United States and nearly fifty countries, is projected to benefit more than half a million students worldwide. For more information about the program in select countries, please click [here](https://icaf.org/resource/pdfs/Arts-Olympiad-Stories-Texas.pdf).

[**World Children’s Festival**](https://WorldChildrensFestival.org)
The World Children’s Festival (WCF) offers a transformative experience, infusing creativity with empathy to give them hope. While learning is a biological process that creates new neural connections, developing empathy necessitates unlearning ingrained biases and prejudices to activate the “mirror neurons” that underpin empathetic responses. As empathy flourishes, divisions diminish, polarization lessens, consensus emerges, nations come together, and the world becomes more peaceful. The educational programming for this three-day public celebration of children's talents is rooted in STEAMS education, an innovative approach developed by ICAF that integrates Arts and Sports into the STEM disciplines. For an overview of the WCF, please click [here](https://www.icaf.org/resource/flipbooks/Creativity,DiversityandUnity/).

The 7th World Children’s Festival, held at the National Mall from June 30 to July 2, 2026, will also serve as the children's celebration of America's 250th birthday. 

**Other Art Programs**
ICAF occasionally organizes [Peace through Art Programs](https://icaf.org/mission/peace-through-art) to restore the trust in humanity of children in conflict zones and [Healing Art Programs](https://icaf.org/mission/healing-arts-program) to revive faith in nature of child victims of natural disasters. ICAF also pays attention to [climate change](https://icaf.org/mission/climate-change) because of its impact on children’s lives.

**Sport Art Exhibitions**
As the largest children’s art organization, ICAF curates exhibitions worldwide to bring its unprecedented collection to significant venues and museums. ICAF exhibitions embolden children and kindle the inner child in professionals. Please watch this [3:22-minute clip](https://youtu.be/0Cv7qHQM7fM?si=XFAHo8MZDs2Sj7e_).

**Art & Sports Online Contests**
To engage children worldwide in the LA28 Olympics, ICAF has launched an online art contest for students aged 8 to 20. This inclusive platform allows participants to create artwork about their favorite sport, share it with family and friends, and receive votes from any sports fan or art lover, contributing to the selection of the winners. https://MyFavoriteSport.org. 

[**Partnerships**](https://icaf.org/about/partnership)
ICAF has worked with the United Nations, the National Institutes of Health, the International Society for Education through Art, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization. 

ICAF’s sponsors have included corporations and grant makers such as the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, and several private philanthropies.

International Child Art Foundation

Founded in 2000, Dacula HS Band Boosters is a nonprofit based in Dacula, Georgia, that supports art, culture, and the humanities.

To build and maintain an organization of volunteer parents and community who help promote the general activities of the Dacula High School band program. We do this by vigorous outreach and engagement with the community, support of student activities by fundraising to fill the gaps where our tax dollars fall short, and all to foster a love and appreciation of music in support of music education and our children.

Dacula HS Band Boosters Inc.

Hiphop Scholastics is a nonprofit organization focused on arts, culture, or humanities. It is based in Los Angeles, CA. It received its nonprofit status in 2017.

Hiphop Scholastics

Kids’ Club supports underserved youth in our community by awarding grants for programs for kids from birth to age 18 and beyond. 

Kids’ Club of Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow provides support for underserved youth.  As a community organization, we marshal resources, increase local awareness, advocate for programming, and strengthen services to improve the lives of children and families. We collaborate with a variety of community organizations to identify needs, close gaps in services and provide opportunities for children.

*Through our close ties to the community, we are able to find, fund, and facilitate programs we believe will have the greatest impact on the lives of those we serve.* 

At Kids’ Club, we are all volunteers; we have no paid staff.  We all live or work in the community or surrounding areas. **Administrative costs are covered through the generosity of our Board members, enabling 100% of every dollar you donate to Kids’ Club to help the children and families we serve.** 

Kids' Club of Tarrytown & Sleepy Hollow, Inc.

Advancing visual arts through community engagement and creative placemaking in Ferndale, WA toward Creative District designation.

Placemake Arts Northwest is dedicated to advancing the visual arts through community engagement, creative placemaking, and arts education in Ferndale, Washington and throughout Whatcom County. We're working to establish Downtown Ferndale as a Washington State Certified Creative District, bringing state funding, recognition, and economic opportunities to our community.

Our core activities include live visual arts programming at community events, creative placemaking initiatives, community engagement through hands-on arts workshops, artist support with platforms and materials, and arts education for emerging artists. Every contribution brings us closer to Creative District certification, unlocking state funding, highway signage, and recognition that will drive economic growth and cultural vitality in downtown Ferndale.

Placemake Arts Northwest

Harmony & Healing brings live music to patients via Zoom, lifting spirits & spreading joy in hospitals, hospices & rehab centers.

Harmony & Healing artists deliver **professional live musical performances via Zoom or in-person** for patients, their loved ones and caretakers wherever they may be in the world!

Harmony & Healing performances lift spirits and take people's minds off their challenges with music. Anyone who is invited, anywhere in the world can share in a Harmony & Healing “Virtual Visit” with the proper Zoom capabilities at the facility or in the private residence. We can even provide a recording of the event for posterity.

Harmony & Healing is *not* formal “music therapy”, but rather a soulful, connective journey into the most pleasant memories and associations of patient’s lives. Music lowers stress levels, brings about positive associations, speeds healing, and brings happiness to patient’s lives and the lives of their loved ones.

Facilities, patients and families are **never charged for these services**; we are entirely supported by corporate  donations, private donations and planned giving.

Harmony & Healing was founded by former BOSTON guitarist and co-lead vocalist, David Victor.

Harmony & Healing

The berlied festival is an innovative concert series dedicated to art song in Berlin. 

The berlied festival aims to preserve, reshape and increase the visibility of the art song, a genre that has so far been significantly underrepresented in Berlin's cultural landscape and beyond. berlied places the art song in an interdisciplinary context: as a way of reimagining the genre, this interdisciplinary approach expands its narrative horizons, adding another layer of interpretation to the dialogue between music and poetry, using scenography, video installations, spoken word poetry, dance and painting. The invited artists present exceptional, high-quality programs that reflect their personal artistic voice. A special focus is placed on rarely performed works from the 18th century to world premieres of contemporary compositions. 

We envision berlied as a creative springboard for exceptional artists, both emerging and established, to present their unusual passion-projects. We decidedly promote female and female-identifying artists, composers and writers in order to increase their presence in concerts and sustainably integrate them into the canon of classical chamber music. 

berlied seeks out unconventional venues so as to achieve an intimate, living-room atmosphere where the boundaries between performers and audience dissolve. It is of central value to the festival that it be as affordable and accessible as possible in order to offer a wider audience an entry point into the world of art song.

The festival was originally founded in 2021 by pianist Justine Eckhaut, as a way to revitalize Berlin's cultural scene after the coronavirus pandemic and introduce new audiences to the beauty and relevance of the art song. In 2022, singer and poet Sophia Stern joined the creative team. Johanna Ernst joined the team as project manager in 2024. Over three successful seasons, the festival has expanded its audience, program and outreach. 

The berlied Festival 

The Civic Circle empowers students students to understand and participate in democracy through music and the arts.

The Civic Circle launched in 2018 to empower low-income students with civic skills, lift youth voices through the arts, and close a well-documented equity gap in civic learning and engagement.

Since then, we’ve reached more than 5,000 underserved students with our after-school workshops, assembly shows and community civic events. The heart of our program is seven civic skills we call “steps to democracy”— Listen, Learn, Choose, Join, Speak, Act and Lead. In other words, be a compassionate, informed, engaged citizen.

Civic learning correlates to better school performance, and college and career readiness. Students in our programs do Social Studies and service-learning activities, and work with teaching artists to create and perform their own civic songs, poems, and art pieces. Along the way they build literacy, confidence, self-expression, and social and emotional skills.

Our innovative, multicultural program equips students with the civic skills they will need to become voters and leaders in their communities, a mission that is increasingly crucial both for student achievement, and for our success as a democratic society. For more information, please contact info@theciviccircle.org, or visit www.theciviccircle.org.

The Civic Circle

We're a no-audition, adult community chorus, created for those who love to sing in Upper Manhattan. 

ABOUT THE CHOIR
WHCC is a no-audition community choir, one of a handful in NYC and the only one serving Upper Manhattan. We're a lively, diverse, and welcoming group that loves to sing and believes in the power of music to spread joy and build community!

BUILDING A LASTING FOUNDATION
Founded by a local church in 2016, we disbanded in May 2022 due to budget cuts but quickly regrouped and reestablished the choir as an independent nonprofit. Now two years strong, we aim to become a lasting part of our community.

HELP KEEP THE MUSIC ALIVE
Choir membership dues cover about 70% of our expenses. Your donation helps bridge the gap, supporting our Choir Director, accompanist, music licensing, marketing, space rental, insurance, and other administrative needs. 

With your help, we can keep singing and grow our presence in Upper Manhattan!

Washington Heights Community Choir is a project of Players Philanthropy Fund, Inc. a Texas nonprofit corporation recognized by IRS as a tax-exempt public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (Federal Tax ID: 27-6601178, [ppf.org/pp](https://ppf.org/pp)). Contributions to Washington Heights Community Choir qualify as tax-deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

Washington Heights Community Choir

Fostering appreciation and growth of artistic and intellectual creativity in Africa 

Based in Dakar, Senegal, RAW Material Company is a center for art, knowledge and society.  It is an initiative involved with curatorial practice, artistic education, residencies, knowledge production, and archiving of theory and criticism on art. It works to foster appreciation and growth of artistic and intellectual creativity in Africa. The programme is trans-disciplinary and is equally informed by literature, film, architecture, politics, fashion, cuisine and diaspora. RAW Material Company is made of:  - RAW Base, a resource centre specialized in contemporary art;  - RAW Académie, an experimental study programme for artistic thinking and production  - Ker Issa, residencies and studios for artists, curators, authors and researchers.  

RAW Material Company

The Together In Hope Project is a nonprofit organization focused on changing lives through music with a purpose. 

The Together In Hope Project is a nonprofit organization focused on changing lives through music with a purpose. We create unique, music-anchored projects on issues of our shared humanity to promote healing and reconciliation.

Together In Hope Project

Pollinator is a growing network of aligned peers.

The inaugural Pollinator Program launches in October of 2025.

The Pollinator Program is like a virtual residency of mutual support. Participants get matched with a small cohort of compatible peers, and work on your new website in good company.

**How it Works**

1. Get invited to join: All members are alumni from our network of vetted residencies, fellowships, and cultural institutions.
2. Match with an aligned peer circle: We place you in a dedicated cohort with five other members. These are your people. (One might even be your creative soulmate?)
3. Learn a new goal-setting method: Join video calls with your circle each week, guided by our curriculum.
4. Make real connections, and real progress: join the next Program cycle to continue cross-pollinating.

**Network**

Pollinator supports interdisciplinary practitioners across art, technology, ecology, and social impact. We are currently accepting alumni of over 50 institutions and programs. See https://pollinator.coop for the full list of institutions.

**Team**

We build collaborative technology for artists, by artists. We believe in the magic of human-to-human intelligence and see Pollinator as a way to strengthen cultural ecosystems through peer-to-peer connection.

Pollinator Co-Directors Caroline Woolard and Or Zubalsky are artists, educators, and technologists who have been collaborating for 15 years. From 2008-2018, they built and maintained TradeSchool.coop, an international peer-to-peer learning platform that was used in 30 cities internationally. Caroline Woolard is the co-founder of Art.coop, a national network of art and design cooperatives, and the co-author of Making and Being, a book about collaborative pedagogy. Zubalsky and Woolard have taught for over a decade at The New School, Rhode Island School of Design, Cooper Union, the School of Visual Arts, the University of New Mexico, Bennington College, George Washington University, and the University of Hartford. Learn more about Zubalsky here and Woolard here.

Zubalsky and Woolard got together to build Pollinator with a team of aligned engineers in 2024. The team at Minima has worked together since 2014 to deliver cutting-edge software-based solutions for corporate clients. Minima has built and managed widely used web, mobile, and server-side applications, including Apple's Music TV. Minima builds complex systems that scale, are maintainable, and cost effective. Minima prioritizes the end user across axes of accessibility, security, communication, and simplicity.

**Praise**

“We need more networks to connect us to share resources at this time.” —Wendy Woon Artist, former Edward John Noble Deputy Director for Education, MoMA

“Pollinator is something all artist-serving organizations want to offer but struggle to pull off alone. It's an investment in all the artists [and aligned peers] we're supporting across all 40+ organizations.” —Blair Benjamin, Assets For Artists

“We have been gathering artists and technologists across borders for over a decade. Finally, Pollinator can help us to connect people in small groups at scale on an international level.” —Mechu Rapela, Tenthaus Oslo

“Pollinator is a great idea because it takes existing networks of fellows and says: We’ve been missing an opportunity to interconnect Fellows. What if we did this in a meaningful way?” —Cate Fox, Center for Cultural Innovation

“The world doesn’t need another big tech platform; it needs pollinators— something fluid, alive, and relational. Circles foster interconnection, cross-pollination, and shared growth.” —Martin Pettis, YMCA

“Pollinator is another example of what the founder has been doing for the last fifteen years - finding ways to connect people in the arts so that they can support one another. She is persistent in her dedication and vision.” —Samuel Hoi, former president of Otis College of Art and Design and Maryland Institute College of Art

Pollinator

Lyric Stage produces intimate, challenging and entertaining theatre with Boston-area artists for Boston-area audiences.

Founded in 1974, the Lyric Stage is Boston's oldest professional theatre company, producing a six-show season which ranges in theatrical styles from classic Broadway-style musicals to new plays. Since 1991, the Lyric Stage has been in residence at 140 Clarendon Street, in a 240-seat venue, that is widely regarded as the most intimate in Boston.

With few exceptions, the actors, directors, designers, stage managers, technicians, music directors, and musicians that work at Lyric Stage live in Greater Boston. In casting and hiring, the artistic department seeks to balance ongoing relationships with opportunities for emerging local artists. Our educational programming reflects a commitment to introduce theatre to Boston's residents and to inspire young people to discover the multiple ways in which theatre can enhance, or become, a life-long career.

Lyric Stage Boston

We spark thoughtful conversation with provocative plays and entertaining musicals while empowering local and emerging artists. 

SpeakEasy produces intimate, entertaining plays and musicals that are new to Boston and compel thoughtful conversation. We champion new talent and future arts leaders, alongside a diverse community of experienced local theatre professionals who share our devotion to excellence. We treat our artists, audiences and supporters as collaborators, working with us to make Boston a city that is sustainable for artists.

SpeakEasy Stage Company

At LPTM, Black and Brown boys express themselves; navigate life challenges; mentor their peers; and transform their communities.

Life Pieces To Masterpieces (LPTM) provides opportunities for Black and Brown boys and young men ages 3-25 to express themselves; navigate the challenges in their lives; teach and uplift others as mentors; and contribute positively to their communities. 

Boys enter the program as early as age three, with programming including a daily afterschool arts and education mentoring program from 3:00-7:00, which involves transportation and a meal, a college- and career-prep Saturday Academy for high school young men who also serve as mentors, a full-day six-week summer program, and family and community engagement. All programs are free for all youth and families. 

In all programs, LPTM provides an environment of love, security, and expression. Black boys and young men, from pre-school to grad-school and beyond, discover their authentic selves; awaken to a sense of purpose; have their brilliance and humanity valued and nurtured – and see themselves as the beautiful Masterpieces they are. In their artwork, advocacy, and model of mentorship, our Black boys and young men are protagonists of positive change.

Life Pieces To Masterpieces

The Alliance for Middle East Peace is a network of over 170 NGOs conducting peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians.

Alliance For Middle East Peace Inc

The International Beethoven Project, est. 2008 as a NFP, is on a mission to revolutionize the world of classical music.

​​**The International Beethoven Project (IBP) is on a mission to revolutionize the world of classical music.**

We're passionate about:

- **Celebrating Beethoven's extraordinary music and humanist legacy.**
- **Exploring new ways to present and perform classical music, inspired by Beethoven's revolutionary approach to the music world in his own time.**
- **Showcasing the most creative musical geniuses of past and present.**

**Our Vision:** By highlighting Beethoven's innovative spirit, we aim to inspire a new generation of music lovers, performers, and arts leaders. We're exploring cutting-edge approaches—from cool live events and educational programs to productions of films, recordings, digital media and even artificial intelligence—to bring classical music to life.

**Our Impact:**

- **Launched "International Beethoven Day" in 2021** to create a global movement celebrating Beethoven's enduring impact and classical music in general
- **Produced critically acclaimed recordings,** including a groundbreaking album featuring the first-ever recording of Beethoven's Trio Hess 47.
- **Created captivating music films and documentaries** that offer fresh perspectives on the classics and inspire contemporary artists.
- **Organized annual Beethoven birthday celebrations and multi-disciplinary festivals** that unite diverse art forms and musical genres since 2010
- **Pioneering explorations in web3/blockchain/metaverse/NFT and artificial intelligence** dedicated to classical music.

**Upcoming Projects:**

- **An immersive multimedia journey through Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas.** This ambitious project will feature recordings, films, contemporary interpretations and reinterpretations, readings of Beethoven's letters, and visual art. We'll share this experience globally and bring it directly to schools worldwide during the upcoming celebrations of the bicentennial of Beethoven's death in 2027.
- **Preparing an international conference** on the role and future of classical music.
- **Collaborations with other organizations** to cross-pollinate ideas.

**Join the Movement:**

Stay connected with IBP through our website and social media channels. Together, we're shaping the future of classical music for the next generations. If you're interested in joining the team in any capacity, please let us know!

And don't forget that **your support is the key to our success!**

**Visit[ www.internationalbeethovenproject.com](https://www.internationalbeethovenproject.com) to learn more.**

International Beethoven Project

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We are a nonprofit, so instead of charging fees we rely on the generosity of donors like you.