Monica Yunus & Camille Zamora Announced Inaugural Guest Artists For New RefleXions Music Series

RefleXions Music Series, a project funded by the University of Arkansas Chancellor's Grant for the Humanities and Performing Arts Initiative, and sponsored by the J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences, the Department of Music, and KUAF 91.3, today announced the fall semester virtual residency of acclaimed sopranos, arts activists and Sing for Hope Co-Founders Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora.

Yunus and Zamora will be leading masterclasses for singers (student and professionals), other musicians, choir directors, audience members, art advocates, and music teachers, featuring University of Arkansas voice students and others interested in participating. The masterclasses will be delivered via Zoom on Thursday, October 15 from 3:30 to 5:00 pm and again on Thursday, November 5 at the same time. These classes are free and open to the public but advance registration is required (register online at https://uark.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtdO2urD0iGt11p6-A3KTHWZIrX108Oxff).

After registering, participants will receive confirmation emails containing information about joining the meeting. Yunus and Zamora will be featured in the RefleXions Podcast in November and will lead an open panel conversation with art leaders in the community about social impact through the arts on December 3. Links to these events will be shared later in the fall.

Internationally acclaimed sopranos Yunus and Zamora founded Sing for Hope in response to 9/11 while studying at The Juilliard School, understanding then that music had the power to heal their community and to provide solace in the midst of chaos. Today, Sing for Hope is an "artists' peace corps" that reaches millions of people annually in their home-base of NYC and worldwide. Guided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals and in partnership with hundreds of community-based organizations and city agencies, Sing for Hope activates the creative arts as drivers of healing, learning, and social cohesion.

Yunus said, "We're so grateful to the entire tremendous RefleXions team, led by Dr. Lia Uribe and Dr. Rogelio Garcia-Contreras, for their incredible vision and action in creating this powerful new program. Our global community of artists is seeking to respond nimbly and impactfully to the current moment, even as we grapple with the closure of Broadway and our country's concert halls. Our great centers of learning must dedicate time and space to exploring the myriad ways that artists drive value in society and contribute to the equitable rebuilding of our social systems. This is a vital area of scholarship that will determine nothing less than the future of our arts ecosystem. University of Arkansas is leading the way with Reflexions, and Camille and I are thrilled to be the inaugural Guest Artists of this exemplary program."

Zamora said, "The arts are a delivery system for hope, equity, connection, and renewal. They have unique power to address individual and communal spirit, which is a first step toward healing, especially in moments of crisis. So now more than ever, even as we hone our artistic technique to ensure our work is as compelling as possible, we have a responsibility to look at how and where the arts are delivered, who has access, and why. I love how the title of this new program - RefleXions - underscores the way in which creativity allows us to reflect on, and ultimately make sense of, the key issues in our lives. It's a joy and an honor to do this work this semester with the great students and faculty of J. William Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences and the University of Arkansas Department of Music."

Dr. Lia Uribe, director of RefleXions Music Series and professor in the University of Arkansas music department, said, "RefleXions guest artists Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora will be connecting with us even as the arts and artists are suffering because of the pandemic. These artists recognized this as an opportunity for re-invention to aid in the healing of our communities. They created Sing for Hope, augmenting their traditional careers in classical music, fully aware that the transformative power of the arts was needed in the aftermath of 9/11. The pandemic and social unrest in our communities present opportunities to explore the same healing transformation through conversation, masterclasses, and panels, and together reconsider the future, its challenges, and our calls for action."

RefleXions Music Series was conceived as a celebration of music, musicians, advocates, and audiences, as a series of events that foster creative justice and diversity through opportunities to reflect, learn, grow, change, and teach. RefleXions team is a collective of University of Arkansas individuals from different backgrounds that bring unique perspectives and commitment to the highest standards of scholarship, research and aesthetic diversity: Erika Almenara, Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Rogelio Garcia-Contreras, Walton College of Business; Antoinette Grajeda and Leigh Wood, KUAF; Ronda Mains, Catalina Ortega, Eric Troiano and Lia Uribe, Department of Music; along with students Connor Gott, Olga Khokhryakova, Liz Luzcando and Bailey Ross. Follow RefleXions Music Series stories and events at Reflexionsmusic.org.

Sing for Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world. Our creative programs bring arts-based hope, healing, and connection to millions of people in hospitals, schools, refugee camps, and transit hubs worldwide. Founded in New York City in 2006, Sing for Hope partners with hundreds of community-based organizations, mobilizes thousands of artists in creative service, and produces artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos across the US and around the world. We champion art for all because we believe the arts have an unmatched capacity to uplift, unite, and heal. Sing for Hope's work is made possible by the Sing for Hope Founders' Circle: The International Foundation for Arts and Culture (Dr. Haruhisa Handa, Chairman, Sing for Hope Global Patron), The Arnhold Foundation in loving memory of Sissy and Henry Arnhold, The Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, The Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation, and Ann Ziff; The National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, and Fosun International; and the generosity of donors like you. Learn more at https://www.singforhope.org/.

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