Arts

Smithsonian Folklife Festival Features Traditions of Oman

Oman is first Arab nation to be featured in annual festival

23 June 2005
By Mercedes L. Suarez
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- The sound of bagpipes drifted across the Washington mall June 23 as the Smithsonian Institution kicked off its 39th annual Folklife Festival, with a focus this year on the nation of Oman. Bagpipes and Oman, some visitors wondered? The traditional music of Oman, which incorporated bagpipes during British occupation, is only one thing Americans will discover during the two-week festival in the nation’s capital.    » read more »

Kurdish Members of Iraqi National Symphony Visit United States

Musicians share stories of their performing and teaching experiences

14 June 2005
By Mercedes L. Suarez
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Six Kurdish members of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra (INSO) have spent the past two weeks performing and teaching in California as part of an educational exchange sponsored by the U.S. government. The musicians met with met with officials at the State Department in Washington June 14 to share stories from their trip.    » read more »

Tony Bennett to Welcome Jazz Trumpter Wynton Marsalis as Keynote Speaker at Frank Sinatra School of the Arts Graduation

Graduation Ceremony to be Held at the Main Stage Theatre of La Guardia Community College on June 27 at 3 PM

NEW YORK, June 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Premiere jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis will address the senior class of Frank Sinatra School of the Arts (FSSA) at graduation ceremonies to be held on Monday, June 27 at 3 p.m. Welcoming Marsalis to the event will be singer Tony Bennett, who was the guiding force behind establishing the school, which opened in 2001. The graduation ceremonies will be held at the Main Stage Theatre of La Guardia Community College (Building E) in Long Island City, NY.    » read more »

Pew Fellowships In The Arts Celebrates Artists Working In Many Media

Philadelphia, PA -- June 1, 2005 -- The Pew Fellowships in the Arts presents its 2005 fellowships to 13 local artists working in the areas of Fiction and Creative Nonfiction, Media Arts, and Works on Paper.

The 12 $50,000 fellowships (one fellowship is shared by two artists) give artists time to focus on their work—to explore, to experiment, and to develop their art more fully. This year’s recipients, selected from among nearly 400 artists, are:    » read more »

Literature in Translation Program Begins with Greek Publications

Arts Endowment launches NEA International Literature Awards

30 May 2005

The U.S. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) will begin a program to increase quality literary works in translation by working with Embassy of Greece in the translation and publication of two Greek publications, NEA announced on May 16. The National Book Center in Athens will administer the matching NEA and Greek embassy grants of $10,000 each.    » read more »