With a song inspired by the bravery of Ukrainian soldiers, the pop group Tvorchi sees the beloved, often campy global song competition as a serious opportunity to represent their country. Andrii Hutsuliak, left, and Jimoh Augustus Kehinde are representing Ukraine at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. With their track, “we just wanted to say, be … Read More
Current News
On canvas, Iranian artists capture the hope and turmoil of an uprising
By Miriam Berger The Washington Post, April 8, 2023 at 4:00 a.m. EDT A painting by Emad, an Iranian artist in Tehran, representing violence perpetrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (Emad) It was incredibly risky to film or photograph the anti-government protests that swept Iran after the September death of Mahsa Amini. In the privacy … Read More
Newsletter — Summer/Autumn 2022
DONATE Power of Music and Art, Resiliency of the Human Spirit, Will to Survive Dear Friends, As we near the end of 2022, it is a time to reflect on all that we have achieved. People around the world continue to … Read More
How artists are changing Sri Lanka
Listen now For 25 years Sri Lanka went through a bitter civil war between the majority Sinhalese and the Tamil minority. Earlier this year the country was declared bankrupt and has been facing a major economic crisis, with shortages of medicines, fuel, cooking gas and food. Tens of thousands of people, the vast majority of … Read More
Maestro Earle and Ukrainian music at the Berliner Musikfest
By Blair A. Ruble on September 23, 2022 KENNAN INSTITUTE ARTS AND LITERATURE CONFLICT RESOLUTION AND PEACEBUILDING UKRAINE GERMANY RUSSIA BY BLAIR A. RUBLE On September 6, the Odesa Philharmonic Orchestra performed under the direction of Principal Conductor Hobart Earle at the prestigious Berliner Musikfest. The Orchestra’s program featured several works by Ukrainian composers before ending with Jean … Read More
ARTS AND LETTERS
The Artists Taking on Mass Incarceration The interdisciplinary artist Sable Elyse Smith in her New York City studio on July 5, 2022, with works from her “Coloring Book” series, still in progress.Credit…Tommy Kha More and more art is challenging long-held assumptions about the criminal justice system. By Adam Bradley The New York Times Aug. 11, 2022 … Read More
An Orchestra Supports Ukraine, and Reunites a Couple Parted by War
“I don’t have a gun, but I have my cello,” a musician says as he joins the Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, which is made up of refugees who fled the war and artists who stayed behind. Musicians from Ukraine shortly after they crossed the border into Poland, on their way to meet up with the musicians … Read More
How photos of Nazis partying at Auschwitz gave rise to a new play
‘Here There Are Blueberries,’ at California’s La Jolla Playhouse, is based on photos submitted to an archivist at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum By Peter Marks The Washington Post August 5, 2022 at 6:00 a.m. EDT It started with a photo album, submitted over the transom to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, and an … Read More
Opinion — How Cuba’s investment in writers and artists came back to haunt its regime
By Carlos Manuel Álvarez The Washington Post November 11, 2022 Carlos Manuel Álvarez is a Cuban author and journalist. In Cuba, hundreds of innocent people are in prison today because they dared to demand freedom a year ago. The “lucky” ones — including Washington Post Opinions contributor Abraham Jiménez Enoa and art historian Carolina Barrero, the subjects of … Read More
Founder of Violins of Hope Amnon Weinstein Receives French Legion of Honor
CLASSICAL MUSIC NEWS The Tel Aviv luthier has restored the violins of around 120 Holocaust victims since the late 1980s June 2, 2022 The respected Tel Aviv luthier Amnon Weinstein, who repairs and restores violins that were damaged during the Holocaust, has received one of France’s highest honors for his work. Eric Danon, the French ambassador … Read More