Since its launch in 1990, our mission has been to present the finest traditional and contemporary performing arts from around the world to the broadest possible audience, and to engage individuals in their community and civic life through related artist based educational programs.
World Music/CRASHarts strives to create one-of-a-kind experiences brought about by the interaction of artists and audiences. We embrace the performing arts as a basic form of communication and an essential part of the expression of one’s humanity and full participation in society.
It is our vision for World Music/CRASHarts to bring the transformative power of the arts to a truly diverse audience. We strongly believe that the artistic experience is enriched when it gives people of all cultures the opportunity to have an effect on one another through the freedom of self-expression and the exchange of ideas.
Thank you to our patrons who have embraced the diversity of our performances and entrusted us year after year to select and deliver the most distinctive artists from around the globe. We are committed to continuing to provide you with unique opportunities to explore world culture, and meaningful experiences that leave a lasting impression.
World Music/CRASHarts believes that the arts should play an integral role in everyone’s life and represent the true manifestation of a community. Beyond its commitment to presenting exceptional artists from around the globe to diverse greater Boston audiences, World Music/CRASHarts feels a strong sense of responsibility to serve the public by providing access to opportunities to interact and connect with one another through the arts.
Over the past 15 years, we have successfully designed and implemented a wide variety of educational and residency programs to deepen the impact of our concerts and visiting artists. These programs include:
Youth Arts Initiative*
We are connecting our renowned artists with 650 aspiring young artists from across the city. Together with leading arts educators, we have planned customized combinations of master classes, observation of technical rehearsals, artist talks and ticket donations that will enable music and dance students to experience the artistry and humanity of our great performers.
• 40 youth from Boston City Singers in Dorchester will meet with and attend the Ladysmith Black Mambazo concert prior to the children’s own July 2011 choral tour through South Africa
• 15 young music journalists from East Boston’s Zumix will interview the musicians, witness a tech rehearsal, attend the concert and publish their own review of Acoustic Africa
• 60 young dancers from the South End’s IBA/Latino Cultural Center and Roxbury’s Ballet Rox and Origination will train with the dynamic Philadanco in a master class and attend the renowned dance company’s tech rehearsal and performance
• 80 dance majors at the Boston Arts Academy will take master classes with nicholas leichter dance, Doug Varone and Dancers, Philadanco and David Dorfman Dance
• Many more students studying at the Community Music Center of Boston in the South End, Youth and Music Initiative in Dorchester, El Ritmo en Accion in Jamaica Plain and others will participate in exciting educational and performance opportunities
A World of Workshops*
Residency activities with visiting artists that include workshops, master classes, lecture demonstrations, panel discussions, and post-performance discussions.
Discussions in World Music
A series of two-hour lectures/conversations with scholars and artists on topics related to the concert series. Produced in collaboration with the Cambridge Center for Adult Education (CCAE), a community-based nonprofit educational institution, this series not only highlighted the depth of knowledge of regional experts, but it offered adults and children the chance to engage with topics and people to whom they might not otherwise have access.
Symposia and Conferences
Intensive explorations into topics related to world music. World Music has partnered with the CCAE to present “Beyond Buena Vista: The Cuban Music Phenomenon,” a daylong symposium on the history and influence of Cuban music, and three “Rhythm & Ritual,” two-day in-depth conferences.
The New England Conservatory of Music*
Free lectures and demonstrations. Over the past 10 years, The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) has served as host to many free public events led by the international artists that World Music presents.
Celluloid Passport
A festival celebrating cinema from around the globe. Presented in partnership with the Brattle Film Foundation, this three time film festival offered another vehicle for learning about the cultures behind the music and dance that World Music presents in concert.
Images of Flamenco Photo Exhibit & Film Series
An annual free flamenco film festival that takes place at the Boston Public Library.
Sharing the Rhythm
A multicultural program that brought a folklorist and traditional artists into Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School, to support an interdisciplinary arts-based curriculum drawn from the cultural heritage of its student body.
Boston Arts Academy*
A cultural exchange program that places visiting artists in workshops at the academy and underwrites tickets for students from the academy to attend concerts.
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