A Musical Performance and Peace Education Initiative
for Children and Youth
Introduction to the Project
Mission Statement
Visions of Peace Concerts feature an international community of young singers, emerging composers and inspired artists to celebrate and explore the artistic, social and spiritual relevance of choral music in the world today. Dedicated to the premiere performances of new music and the music education of children and youth through concert performance, Visions of Peace Concerts seeks to engage and inspire urban audiences here and abroad. As a peace education through musical performance initiative, Visions of Peace Concerts emerged from Doreen Rao’s pioneering commitment to children and choral music around the world, and from her passion to empower the next generation of peacemakers through singing.
Visions of Peace is a progressive and uniquely innovative performance project for young choirs working with orchestras and world music ensembles in urban communities in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Central to this new Visions of Peace initiative is the intentional merging of choral music experience with thematically developed concert programs promoting mindfulness, social awareness and peacemaking, qualities essential for a sustainable world.
Visions of Peace seeks to demonstrate how the power of great music professionally produced and performed can serve the public conscience at many important levels. Concert programs are carefully constructed to capture the strength and breadth of cultural diversity and social relevance.
VOP Concert Programing
Appealing cross-cultural programs of traditional classics and contemporary music for choir and orchestra, Visions of Peace concerts are thoughtfully designed for their artistic, social and spiritual interest. A compelling and diverse selection of compositions are unified programmatically by uplifting themes of love, joy, compassion and gratitude expressed by the nation’s favorite folk melodies or hymn tunes.
Visions of Peace programs invite audience participation in every concert. Together, the choir and orchestra in collaboration with the commissioned composer, guest solo artist and the public create a community of remembrance and celebration for the educational benefit of young choirs and the common good of society.
VOP: The Past
Developed by the celebrated American conductor and master teacher Doreen Rao as an on-going commitment to the next generation of music lovers and peacemakers, Visions of Peace concerts promise to empower young artists and inspire participating audiences to recognize their shared humanity with the world today.
The inaugural Visions of Peace concerts were launched in Ireland in 2002 at Dublin’s National Concert Hall with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. Based on the ancient Irish hymn, Be Thou My Vision, this concert was repeated in a sold-out 2003 performance in New York City with the Orchestra of St. Lukes.
In August 2004, a Visions of Peace concert was heard in Cardiff at the internationally famous St. David’s Hall, the “performance home of Welsh culture and choral music.” The favorite Welsh hymn-tune, “Hyfrydol” (Love Divine) unified a festive concert program well suited to accomplished young choirs, chamber orchestra and an international audience.
Subsequent VOP concerts have been heard in York, England (2006). The forthcoming VOP concert is scheduled for performance in Sterling, Scotland in August 2008. For more information, please contact Mandy Miller. <insert contact info>
VOP: The Future
Through the educationally meaningful performances of culturally diverse and artistically significant concert music of ancient and modern times, Visions of Peace encourages young artists and their audiences to sing their beliefs in the inspiring context of great music-making.
The development of this innovative performance program for young choirs and the future productions of these unique concert initiatives requires a motivated community of investors whose entrepreneurial philanthropic interests reflect its commitment to the artistic, social and emotional well-being of children through musical experience.