Showing posts with label Heartbeat. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Heartbeat. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Heartbeat: Israeli-Palestinian U.S. Tour

Posting on behalf of Avi Salloway
Good day my friends,

My Israeli and Palestinian brothers and sisters are coming to tour the USA! Tomorrow I will embark on a three week tour with Heartbeat to bring the sound of a better future in the Middle East to America. As the eyes of the world turn to top Israeli, Palestinian, and American leaders in the final stage of negotiations, Heartbeat takes the stage across the East Coast to call attention to the vital role of civil society in building a lasting, just peace. The tour will culminate with a performance and briefing at the U.S. Congress, calling on Washington for a $50 Million investment in People-to-People diplomacy via the International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace.

Heartbeat’s youth led movement combats the tidal wave of fear, violence, and injustice with powerful sounds and voices singing for cooperation and equality. It doesn't matter where you're coming from or where you're going, the message inspires people of all backgrounds to work together to be the change we seek. Please join us and spread the good word.

Love, Avi Wylder

The Heartbeat US Tour:

2.20 – Clinton, NY – Hamilton College
2.21 – Bennington, VT – Bennington College
2.22 – Cambridge, MA – Harvard University
2.23 – Boston, MA – The Boston Jewish Music Festival
2.24 – Boston, MA – Boston College
2.25 – Windham, ME – Windham Performing Arts Center
2.26 – Burlington, VT – University of Vermont
2.27 – Middlebury, VT – Middlebury College
3.1 – Philadelphia, PA – Congregation Rodeph Shalom
3.2 – Penn Valley, PA – Congregation Beth Am Israel
3.5 – New York, NY – Le Poisson Rouge
3.8 ­ – Takoma Park, MD – TP Community Center
3.11 – Washington, DC – The US Congress

More info at heartbeat.fm



Check out the US State Department video on Heartbeat
A little more about my work in the Middle East
In the heat of the Arab Spring, I decided to travel to Israel and Palestine to experience life in the region beyond the narrow narratives that I was exposed to, to get a feel for the Palestinian and Israeli people and their realities. My guitar and songs served as my thread, connecting me with Arabs, Jews, and the international community as I explored the power of music to unite these adverse populations. I began working as a music and dialogue facilitator with Heartbeat, the Israeli-Palestinian youth music community based in Jerusalem. I started guerrilla recruiting youth artists from all over the region. As genuinely as possible, I would try to get them to trust me enough to want to come join Heartbeat for jam sessions, workshops, writing, performing, and recording retreats. I would make friends with Palestinian rappers and they would take me to underground hip-hop parties in East Jerusalem and I’d meet other cats and we’d jam and the circle would grow bigger. My method was similar with the Jewish artists, although a little less foreign to me.

My time in the Middle East was deeply transformative. I experienced first hand the formation of true friendships and trust building in the face of xenophobia and war. Through the more and more Israelis and Palestinians that I met, I was exposed to the silent majority of Arabs and Jews who yearn for a safe, equitable future. These are the voices that the Heartbeat community are comprised of and these are the voices that the world must hear! Since my trip in 2011, I have become acutely invested in working with Heartbeat and amplifying these powerful sounds for a better future. Our debut tour last year was a resounding success and I cannot wait for the tour that lies ahead. I hope you will join us and raise the courageous call for peace and equality.


Avi and Siwar Mansour, Palestinian violinist from Tira


Heartbeat in the Negev Desert

Spread the word, spread the love, and see you out there!

Shalom, Salam, Peace,

Avi Wylder
billywylder.com
heartbeat.fm

Monday, February 25, 2013

Heartbeat’s 2013 US Tour


My sincerest apologies to my friend Avi Salloway and the members of Heatbeat, I thought I had posted news of their tour here, but after making it a Cecilia's Choices choice back on February 20, forgot to do so!
I had the good fortune to see Heatbeat as part of the Concord Unitarian Universalist service yesterday. Those living in the Boston-area have two more opportunities, tonight at BU and Tuesday at Brandeis. Complete tour info here.

"HEARTBEAT creates opportunities and spaces for young Israeli and Palestinian musicians to work together, hear each other, and amplify their voices to influence the world around them."
more about Heartbeat here.




Heartbeat’s 2013 US Tour

ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN YOUTH MUSICIANS OF HEARTBEAT EMBARK ON DEBUT US TOUR TO PROMOTE COOPERATION AND UNDERSTANDING

The Heartbeat US Tour Itinerary
2.21 – Burlington, VT – University of Vermont
2.22 – Bennington, VT – Bennington College
2.23 – Concord, MA – First Parish in Concord
2.24 – Worcester, MA – Clark University
2.25 – Boston, MA – Boston University
2.26 – Waltham, MA – Brandeis University
2.27 – Lewiston, ME – Bates College
2.28 – Providence, RI – Brown University
3.1 – NYC – Le Poisson Rouge
3.3 – New Haven, CT – Yale University
3.5 – Washington, DC – Busboys and Poets
3.6 – Washington, DC – US State Department
3.6 – Washington, DC – American University
3.7 – Penn Valley, PA – Beth Am Israel
*For full itinerary with linked Facebook events, please see below.
Heartbeat, the Israeli-Palestinian youth music community, will launch their debut US tour on February 21, 2013 to bring the voice and sound of a better future in the Middle East to America. The ensemble of young Arab and Jewish artists (ages 17-21) has performed across Israel, the Palestinian Territories and Germany and will now travel from Boston to Washington, DC for 15 performances at universities, music venues, and congregations.
Based in Jerusalem, Heartbeat is an international non-profit organization uniting musicians, educators, and students to build mutual understanding and transform conflict through the power of music. Founded in 2007 under a Fulbright-MTVu award, Heartbeat creates opportunities and spaces for young Israeli and Palestinian musicians to work together, hear each other, and amplify their voices to influence the world around them. Sharing in sustained music-based dialogue, Heartbeat youth develop creative nonviolent tools to express themselves and become a voice for their communities.
Visiting some of the world’s most celebrated universities and music venues, the tour program will feature uplifting performances interweaving traditional and modern Eastern and Western music. Heartbeat members will further engage audience members through interactive workshops and will share their experiences of growing up amidst the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, highlighting their creative effort to build a better future as members of Heartbeat. Each event offers a unique window into the lives of these courageous young artists and will forge lasting connections between US communities and the Heartbeat movement in the Middle East.  
Heartbeat’s youth led movement combats the tidal wave of separation, fear, violence, and injustice with powerful sounds and voices calling for cooperation, equality, and peace. The Heartbeat message inspires people of all backgrounds to work together to be the change we seek.
All tour performances are open to all ages and free except where noted.

To schedule an interview, please contact Avi Salloway: press@heartbeatjerusalem.org, 401.529.7505

To sponsor An Evening with Heartbeat in Boston, New York, or Washington, DC, please contact Shoshana Gottesman: shoshana@heartbeatjerusalem.org
For general questions about the tour, please send us an email: info@heartbeatjerusalem.org