Spectrum, The National Coalition Against Censorship & Freemuse Celebrate Music Freedom Day Today

The National Coalition Against Censorship, Freemuse and Spectrum will celebrate Music Freedom Day with a listening party, screening and live performances in support of at-risk, banned, and imprisoned musicians and composers around the world. Today's March 3 event will include a pre-premiere screening of an excerpt of They Will Have To Kill Us First, a documentary about the brutal suppression of music in Mali.

Visitors will sample a collection of recordings of suppressed music and hear live performances by Casualty Process, an electronic music project that originated in the Iranian underground; Ravenact, a NYC/Berlin duo; and the NYC/Florida trio Burton/Beeferman/Cochrane. A full program schedule appears below. The evening will also feature remarks by hosts Svetlana Mintcheva, Director of Programs for the National Coalition Against Censorship, and Austin Dacey, creator of the Impossible Music Sessions.

March 3 was designated Music Freedom Day in 2007, to promote creative freedom in music and recognize and support persecuted, imprisoned and at-risk musicians and composers. Since then, more than 100 partners and volunteer organizers in 36 countries have joined in marking Music Freedom Day.

More at www.musicfreedomday.org

Spectrum is at 121 Ludlow Street, Floor 2, Manhattan NY 10002. Subway access is easy from the F (Delancey stop), J, M and Z (Essex stop) lines.