Music for Peace Project Comes to Stony Brook University

By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor


This coming weekend (April 8-10, 2005), The Musicians’ Alliance for Peace (MAP) will bring a segment of their global Music for Peace Festival to Stony Brook University. The three-day event, which coincides with the organization's global Music for Peace Project, will be a conglomeration of concerts, films, panel discussions and lectures in a effort to promote their "Peace as a means and an end" message. Proceeds from the festival will benefit local Long Island charities and the international Asian Tsunami relief effort. Included in the plethora of events during the weekend will be: concerts by Colombian jazz fusion ensemble Folklore Urbano and acclaimed South African bassist Bakithi Kumalo; a keynote address by Emmy Award winner Lee Hirsch, director of Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony; a recital by world-renowned cellist Colin Carr; an Indian baithak (a traditional program of Indian music, dance, and poetry); performances of early music and electronic music; numerous recitals by Stony Brook music students and faculty; and concerts by jazz great Ray Anderson.


Venues and forums for the diverse group of talent included in the festival at Stony Brook University include the Staller Center for the Arts, the Charles B. Wang Center, the Student Activities Center (SAC), and the burgeoning University Café. The Music for Peace Festival is sponsored by the Musicians’ Alliance for Peace, the Office of the Provost, the Humanities Institute, the Stony Brook University Music Department, the Charles B. Wang Center, the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies, the India Studies Center, the Suffolk County Peace Network, the Graduate Student Organization, and the Undergraduate Student Government.


According to their official website, the Music for Peace Project is a "global effort to fill the world with music as a call for peace." The concept is simple: simultaneous performances of a vast number of concerts around the world during that will bring musicians and audiences together in a "powerful, collective statement for peace." The roster for the festival is not limited to big-name talent either. Local performers and artists can become a part of the collective voice simply by signing a brief form on the organization's official web site. Any musician around the world can join the Project and perform for peace, making the message that much more universally heard.


The Music For Peace Project has already established itself as a driving force in the promotion of global peace and unity. In 2004, the organization sponsored 73 concerts in 13 countries, all occurring over a period of 50 hours. During those particular three days, Stony Brook students and faculty held a local Music for Peace Festival on campus, presenting a diverse array of films, keynote speakers and concerts.


Why is Stony Brook University the regional home for this annual festival? Well, the answer is simple: the entire project is based in the local community. The Musicians’ Alliance for Peace is located right here in Stony Brook. In fact, the Musicians’ Alliance for Peace was formed in 2001 by music students at the university in response to the events surrounding the tragedy of September 11. Each year, hundreds of community members donate their time and efforts to promoting global peace and harmony through music and the arts. It is an event of seemingly epic proportions.


For more information and a calendar of events, visit the official Music For Peace Project website at: www.m4p.org