CHICAGO
–
On
Thursday, October 14, 2010, Genesis at the
Crossroads, a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit
organization whose mission is to bridge cultures
in conflict through the arts and to create
innovative arts education and humanitarian
programs around the world, held its first Gala
at The Peninsula, Chicago.
An
intimate gathering of about 100 glittering
donors and supporters, the evening featured
performances by legendary guest artist, Peter
Yarrow (of Peter, Paul and Mary) and the
Saffron Caravan
Quintet
–
members of the Genesis World Music Ensemble, one
of the most unique collections of musicians ever
found together, committed to bridging humankind
through art and serving up an engaging model for
others to follow.
Accompanied by a silent auction, the pre-dinner
cocktail hour was abuzz with an outpouring of
support for the Genesis International High
School for Global Leadership (GIHS), a model for
an educational paradigm shift predicated on
experiential learning, creative
self-actualization, visionary initiative,
innovation, and independent and critical
thought.
Alison Cuddy, award-winning broadcast journalist
and current host of WBEZ Chicago Public Radio’s
award-winning weekday newsmagazine,
Eight Forty-Eight,
served as Mistress of Ceremonies. In talk-show
format, Cuddy set the tone of the evening, with
recapitulation of the history and mission of
Genesis at the Crossroads, through the vision of
Wendy Sternberg, MD, Founder and Executive
Director of the organization.
They
discussed the importance of education in the
face of global conflict escalating and the
urgent need to nurture the leaders of tomorrow.
Sternberg further described the GIHS plans that
call for a green building, reflecting a core
value of sustainability. The student body,
comprised in thirds from abroad, at-risk, inner
city Chicagoans and other Americans, will live
in a 360 degree living-learning boarding
community, emphasizing the belief that a great
deal of learning goes on as much inside as
outside the classroom setting.
“One
of the elements that
makes GIHS well situated in Chicago is the fact
that children can thrive within the intellectual
and artistic vibrancy of this multi-faceted
city, coupled with the seamless interchange
among the community, students, teachers,
administrators and teaching-artists themselves,”
noted Sternberg.
One
of the more poignant and touching parts of the
program took place when Sternberg introduced
23-year-old Aayisha Chanel, a former Genesis
Chicago Public School student star pupil who was
the lead of the GATC music theater program in
2003. Ms. Chanel summarized what the work of
Genesis at the Crossroads meant to her, as an
adolescent African-American inner city youth
living in a shelter with a single parent, with
no formal educational direction. On a path to
nowhere,
as
she described it, Genesis helped her turn her
life around, as she completed high school and
worked her way up the ranks of the Chicago
theater system. She is currently a Junior in the
Theater Department of Columbia College and is
also an actor with the
Piven Theater Workshop Ensemble.
“It
is so gratifying to see how Genesis has helped
nurture the leadership potential in people like
Aayisha, who came to us with raw talent and left
with a clear direction for her life. She is the
epitome of what is possible for youth through
Genesis,” continued Sternberg.
Following dinner, the audience was treated to
Saffron Caravan
performing a medley together as a quintet -
comprised of Grammy-award winner Howard Levy of
Chicago, piano and diatonic harmonica prodigy,
also the musical director; Cantor Alberto
Mizrahi, world-renowned Greek-born American
vocalist; Humayun Khan, Afghan vocalist and
harmonium musician; Kiu Haghighi, Iranian
santour virtuoso; and Jean-Christophe Leroy,
American/Canadian percussionist. They later
handed off to each other an opportunity for
brief solo performances, showcasing each
artist’s instrumental talent as much as their
individual, personal and cultural/ethnic
identity.
Then, the evening’s intimate tone was augmented
when music legend Peter Yarrow performed “Don’t
Laugh at Me,” a song about understanding the
differences we all have as a common humanity, as
he eloquently described.
“His
performance and involvement with Genesis at the
Crossroads could not have been more timely to
further help raise social consciousness,”
commented Sternberg. “With so much posturing,
bullying, and profiling, it is through music
which binds and connects us all, that we can all
realize that we are
all
fundamentally the same.”
Yarrow is a committed artist and driving force
behind his foundation Operation Respect, a
project based on his passionate belief that the
power of music to build a community and be a
catalyst for change can also be a powerful
educational tool and source of inspiration for
both children
and
educators.
“We
feel as if Peter Yarrow and Genesis are speaking
the same language with the goal of utilizing
social and emotional development curricula in
combination with music for tomorrow’s leaders,”
continued Sternberg.
The
combined performance with Yarrow and
Saffron Caravan
illustrated how Genesis carries tremendous power
to connect people of various faiths and cultures
in the stirring space provided by the arts,
inspiring a shift to a new mode of thinking
based on cooperation.
Before the evening’s festivities came to a
close, additional monies were raised via a live
auction for a hand-signed, autographed guitar by
Yarrow, when Yarrow took a moment to address the
crowd: “We need to educate children not only for
their intellectual development, but also for the
development of their compassion, humanity and
goodness of heart. The music of
Saffron Caravan
opens the hearts of adults and children alike,
perhaps more powerfully than any other cultural
experience I have ever encountered.
They
have found
the
critical key to addressing the great challenges
of our time. The world needs to use this key and
replicate it wherever possible.”
Yarrow further emphasized, “You are in the
presence of an organization that has a unique
capacity to move society forward. With an
opportunity like this, we must not fail to act
by supporting the work of Genesis at the
Crossroads and
Saffron Caravan
as an absolute priority.”
Genesis at the Crossroads’ model marries
Saffron Caravan
performances with arts-education initiatives by
prolonging artist stays in each country visited,
creating wider opportunities for engagement
through small class instruction and a series of
artists-in-residence master classes. Sternberg
is now in the planning stages with multiple
conflict areas in the Middle East, North Africa
and the United States to continue the model of
open dialogue.
Genesis at the
Crossroads’ brand of arts diplomacy has garnered
the attention of the U.S. Department of State
through the allocation of funds from
its prestigious
Performing Arts
Initiative
as well as the
Illinois Arts
Council’s Ethnic and Folk Arts Division
and their
Governor’s
International Arts Exchange Program.
Genesis at the Crossroads is currently looking
for additional private donations, corporate
sponsors and underwriters in order to build this
high school and simultaneously continue to
provide world-class, culturally diverse programs
interwoven with arts education and humanitarian
initiatives. For more information, visit:
www.gatc.org.