20|21 Season Performance Program: Yuval Ron Ensemble

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021 UPSTAGE AT THE PHILLIPS CENTER

YUVAL RON ENSEMBLE 2020|2021 SEASON

YUVAL RON ENSEMBLE Sponsored by EAD CORPORATION | KET ENTERPRISES, LLC

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ormed in 1999, The Yuval Ron Ensemble endeavors to alleviate national, racial, religious, and cultural divides by uniting the music and dance of the people of the Middle East into a unique mystical, spiritual, and inspiring musical celebration. The ensemble includes Jewish, Christian, and Muslim artists who have been actively involved in creating musical bridges between people of various faiths and ethnic groups worldwide. Led by Award winning composer Yuval Ron (music for Oscar winning film West Bank Story) the Ensemble has enjoyed overwhelming community support, was chosen to be featured in PBS Holiday Celebration TV specials and was honored with the Los Angeles Treasures Award and the Lincoln/Standing Bear Gold Medal from the City of Lincoln, Neb., in appreciation of its efforts for peace and justice worldwide.

The Ensemble was invited by King of Morocco to appear at the International Sacred Music Festival of Fez, 2009 and had the honor to headline the benefit concert for the Dalai Lama’s initiative, Seeds of Compassion, promoting Compassion in Education, Business, and Community. The ensemble was featured four times at the World Festival of Sacred Music in Los Angeles and at an International Peace Festival in South Korea in 2005. In addition, the Ensemble was chosen by the Mid-Atlantic Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts to represent the United States and its cultural diversity at the International Folk Music Festival in Lublin, Poland, in 2005. In 2006 the Ensemble was the first to introduce the music of the Middle East to Chihuahua, Mexico, at the International Chihuahua Festival, and in 2007 it was featured in the International Oud Festival in Jerusalem as part of a Peace Mission Tour to Israel. In 2010 the Ensemble toured in Spain performing a unique collaboration with the Gypsy Flamenco artists of Andalusia in concerts in Seville, Jerez, and Madrid. In 2011 the ensemble was invited by the Intercultural forum of the Association of Writers and Journalists of Turkey to give a concert for peace in Istanbul and to conduct a Peace Mission Tour throughout Turkey. Additional Peace mission tours to Israel in 2013, India in 2016, Cuba in 2017, and Republic of Georgia and Armenia in 2018, established the Ensemble as an active ambassador for peace worldwide.

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

NEW AT UF PERFORMING ARTS

DRIVEWAY THEATRE PROJECT

ith the Driveway Theatre Project (DTP), we’re bringing a new kind of block party to neighborhoods throughout Greater Gainesville!

The way it works is simple: UFPA teams up with community members like you to bring together friends and neighbors around a performance in driveways, backyards, community centers, and even places of business. You provide the space and invite the people, we provide the magic of performance. Whether it’s bringing actors, musicians, dancers, or all three, we will work with you to figure out the most appropriate performance type for your gathering.

The DTP will be an effort that meets people where they are both geographically and socially, providing performances at no cost and removing many of the boundaries that hinder folks from attending performances inside our venues. But providing no cost performances and removing these boundaries is a serious undertaking, and to realize the full potential of DTP we will need your support.

To us, success would entail DTP performances taking place at homes and community centers across Gainesville’s east, west, north, south, and in surrounding communities.

Further, relevance is key to DTP success. These events need to marry fun, the social glue of performance, and historical context into the experience. UFPA’s audiences are varied, and so too should be the Driveway Theatre Project’s.

We believe that with your help, we can grow DTP into an initiative that garners national notoriety and potential major foundation funding. Engagement with our surrounding community has always been a priority at UFPA, but this project would take things to a new level.

For further information about the Driveway Theatre Project, contact Sorrell Fields, UFPA Director of Development, sfields@performingarts.ufl.edu, 352.273.2480

WE’LL BE BACK

IN THE FALL! JOIN AS AN

AFFILIATE MEMBER

SUPPORT THE ARTS AND BE FIRST IN LINE FOR TICKETS

MEMBERSHIPS START @ $100 MORE INFORMATION @

PERFORMINGARTS.UFL.EDU/GIVING OR CONTACT THE UFPA DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

MEMBERS@PERFORMINGARTS.UFL.EDU