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Princeton, NJ
On Sunday, September 11, 2016 at 3:00 pm Room to Read’s Central NJ chapter hosted A World of Music at Princeton H.S. The program features a range of music from around the world, including some of the countries where Room to Read supports children’s literacy and gender equity in education. Room to Read is a global not for profit which promotes literacy in many ways. It is well known for publishing local language books across Asia and southern Africa. A World of Music uses the universal language of music to support this work, and the concert itself is supported by the newest universal language, computer code. Addteq, Inc, an IT Professional Services Company, will be sponsoring A World of Music .
The program begins with young women from the Princeton area singing so that young women in Asia and Africa can receive scholarships to continue their middle school and high school studies. Jenna Rose Venturi , a soprano from Princeton, will open the concert with the national anthem. Ms. Venturi sings in five languages, and is part of the Princeton Girl choir. She continued her musical studies this summer at the Eastman School of Music. Following the national anthem, Princeton High School’s own Cloud Nine will sing songs from the American songbook. This student led female vocal ensemble has sung in support of Room to Read before. Next, members of Nadam Serenity in Sound, a carnatic ensemble from Princeton, NJ, will play music in the tradition of South India.
Guests will have time during the intermission to visit a gallery of paintings from South East Asia, including Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia, sponsored by Anu Bhat of The Rural Painter. www.theruralpainter.com . Mi Tesoro brings a fine collection of jewelry from various parts of the developing world like India and Ghana. Its mission is to promote a sustainable source of livelihood for women and children and also to revive forgotten craft forms, sponsored by Jaya Subramanian www.facebook.com/MitesoroLLC
As a special feature, Words and Music from the Land of the Jaguar with musician John Burkhalter, reader Berthalicia Harvey and poet Carlos Hernandez Peña will bring to life verse and incantations from the Maya tradition. In addition , one of Mr. Hernandez’s poems will be heard. Ms. Harvey was an assistant to Trudi Blom a social anthropologist who spent decades chronicling the Mayan cultures of Chiapas, Mexico particularly the culture of the Lacandon Maya from her home Casa Na Bolom or "House of the Jaguar". During the course of the performance, Mr Burkhalter will play fanfares and interludes on conch shell horn, turtle carapace, gourd rattles and original Maya instruments from preColumbian times including the only known Maya flute made from apple green jade while Ms. Harvey and Mr. Hernandez recite verse from books published by a consortium of Maya women Taller Leñateros founded by poet Ambar Past in Chiapas, Mexico.
The concert concludes with the afternoon’s headliner, Neeraj Prem, a celebrated sitarist from Toronto, who will play music from the classical tradition of Northern India. He is a disciple of Shujaat Khan. one of this generation’s greatest classical interpreters.
The concert is supported by the generous underwriting of Addteq, an IT Professional services company. 100% of the proceeds from the concert will benefit Room to Read.
Founded in 2000 on the belief that World Change Starts with Educated Children®, Room to Read’s innovative model focuses on deep, systemic transformation within schools in low income countries during two time periods which are most critical in a child’s schooling: early primary school for literacy acquisition and secondary school for girls’ education. We work in collaboration with local communities, partner organizations and governments to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children and ensure girls can complete secondary school with the skills necessary to negotiate key life decisions. Room to Read has benefited 10 million children across 18,000 communities in Asia and Africa and aims to reach 15 million children by 2020. Learn more at www.roomtoread.org .
