Cultural Heritage

The contemporary classical music organization Donemus has a leading role in the Forbidden Music Regained project, which is “dedicated to rediscovering and reviving the musical works of composers whose voices were silenced during the Nazi regime.”

For me, the festival brought back memories of a cold winter day in December 2011, when I met with Soma City Council officials to explore the possibility of launching Japan’s first El Sistema–inspired program. At that time, children in Soma were still deeply affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear power plant accident. Many had lost family members and friends; many faced widespread stigma and discrimination resulting from radiation contamination across Fukushima Prefecture, including Soma City. I was serving as Chief Coordinator of UNICEF’s post-disaster operations.

We’re sharing this one just under the wire! Applications are due today for the timbuktoo Creatives Lab, a mentorship program run by the United Nations Development Programme and Craft and Design Institute to help grow creative businesses in South Africa and across the continent.

When I was growing up in Budapest, Hungary, I had the privilege of learning to play music through the pedagogy of Zoltan Kodály, the famous 20th century Hungarian composer, ethnomusicologist, music educator, linguist, and philosopher. 

Thanks to Kodály, our small country has a well-built school music system, which allows students to learn music theory from a young age and to experience active music-making.