PRESS RELEASE Garrett List, Orchestra ViVo!, and 30 senior year high school students (Namur, Belgium) combine their energy of hope and fraternity to come together for peace. Clip to be realeased on International Jazz Day, April 30th 2017. The project is based on a composition by Garrett List inspired by Judith Malina s magnificent poem Thoughts on the Oxymoron Military Intelligence. Judith Malina was playright, director, actress, director and founder with Julian Beck of the famous Living Theatre in 1947 in New York City. Women s words that are also a true ode for peace, this text highlights the escalation of violence that is provoked by the use of weapons. It also exposes the absurdity that consists of living in fear of our brother. An integral part of Orchestra ViVo s! repertoire, the song Thoughts on the oxymoron Military Intelligence can be heard on its 1st album (Igloo Records, 2014). As a response to ongoing wars being waged around the globe and the violence it entails, Orchestra ViVo! wishes to confirm its commitment to supporting humanistic values by the unyfying nature of the artistic process.
The video clip was recorded at the Théâtre de Namur, on January 20th 2017 with 30 senior year students of the Institut de la Providence in Champion (Namur, Belgium). They learned the song with Garrett List and were stage directed by Anne Englebert. With no prior training in performing arts, these young people not only experienced the learning and acting of the song but the work also helped them better grasp (and digest) the tensions of today s world. They then became more aware of the necessity of art and culture in these circumstances. All of this energy thrust itself to the local Red Cross Center (with the support of the Collectif Citoyens Solidaires) where the residents themselves volunteered to paint the words of the poem in their native languages : Pashtou, Kurdish, Arab, Farsi, German, Dutch Judith Malina s poem in any language Art can cross borders THE CLIP S RELEASE APRIL 26TH at the time of the 2017 International Jazz Day WHY ON THAT DATE? International Jazz Day, since its inauguration by UNESCO in 2012, celebrates jazz as symbol for promoting peace, fostering dialogue among cultures, allowing freedom of expression, and reinforcing the role of youth for social change. WORKING WITH PARTNERS FROM MULTIPLE HORIZONS, to create the buzz, they will be invited to publish the clip on their respective sites and social media pages A few days before International Jazz Day, Wednesday April 26th at 12:00pm : Music : Sowarex, Igloo Records, Les lundis d Hortense, JazzinBelgium, Jazzday.be, Les Jeunesses Musicales, PAC Partners : La Loterie Nationale, Le Théâtre de Namur, Le Philarmonique de Namur, Le Centre Culturel de Namur, Collectif citoyens Solidaires, L Institute de la Providence Politics : La Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, La Province de Liège, La Ville de Liège, NGO : La Croix-Rouge, Médecins Sans Frontières, Médecins du Monde, CNAPD, CNCD, HRW, Amnesty International, GRIP, Le Monde des Possibles,
ORCHESTRA VIVO! Orchestra ViVo! is an orchestra dedicated to musical creation. ViVo! brings together 28 of the best musicians from today s Belgian music creative scene. ViVo! plays music composed by the composer/performers of the orchestra itself. A real crossover project started at the initiative and under the musical direction of the American (living in Belgium) Garrett List, the music of Orchestra ViVo! combines the energy of rock, the clarity of classic music, the freshness of pop and the freedom of jazz. Each concert of Orchestra ViVo! is a unique musical experience. It is a voyage guided by the poetry of texts, sung, recited, rapped or slammed. Another innovative element of Orchestra ViVo! is that it functions without a conductor. This highlights the profound harmony uniting the 28 artists. After a first album (Igloo records 2014) acclaimed by the critics from all sides, Orchestra ViVo!, completely renewed its repertory, in december 2015. 10 new compositions were created by the composer-performers from the orchestra itself. An astonishing and sparkling antidote to the ambient anxiety of today s world, ViVo s new repertory has been well received by the public (world music festival Esperanzah, Gaume Jazz festival, Théâtre de Namur, etc) and by the press. More info on our website :http://www.worldcitizensmusic.com/-orchestra-vivo-.html?lang=en GARRETT LIST Originating from Phoenix, Arizona, Garrett List is a composer, performer and teacher. Graduated from the prestigious Juilliard School of Music (New York), he left his mark as a trombonist and composer on New-York s musical life from 1965 to 1980 (music director at Lincoln Center and the Kitchen Center for Video and Music). He arrived then, in Belgium, where he created and led, at Henri Pousseur s request, the class of improvised music at the Royal Conservatory of Liège for the next thirty years. In 2006, he founded World Citizens Music, which has the mission to promote not only his art, but also to aid and support the younger artists that comprise the orchestra. Garrett List, Music and the Future, a two-part biography written by Bernard Legros and based on a few interviews, was published in late 2014. The book is about his musical voyage, but also his conception of teaching and his thoughts on music. Today, with Orchestra ViVo!, Garrett List has dedicated himself to the creation of a new kind of music. Orchestra ViVo! is the materialization of an ambitious and innovative artistic project. Full biography available on our website : http://www.worldcitizensmusic.com/-garrett-list-17-.html?lang=en
PARTNERS FOR THE CREATION OF THE CLIP FOR THE DIFFUSION OF THE CLIP To be listed progressively FOR THE SUPPORT TO ORCHESTRA VIVO! PRESS CONTACT : Marie-Pierre LAHAYE World Citizens Music asbl 93, Rue Hullos 4000 Liège www.worldcitizensmusic.com - mplahaye@garrettlist.com - +32 498 511 691.
Thoughts on the Oxymoron Military Intelligence a poem by Judith Malina Where there is murder there is no mind. Where there are weapons there is no wellbeing. Where there is fear, anger comes. No one remembers a time when there was no murder. Abel was the last who did not fear his brother. But how can we abandon our weapons And stand unarmed on the battlefield? Murder, said an old sage, is only The beginning of a series of escalations, The second of which is theft, And the last and gravest, lying. Where there is mind, there can be no murder. Realizing our kinship, there can be well-being. Everyone longs for a time when there will be no murder. We are not the first to refuse To live in fear of our brother. Where there is no threat, love comes. Therefore I disarm myself even on the battlefield. We are not the first. Where there is not threat, love comes. Pensées sur l oxymoron L Intelligence Militaire un poème de Judith Malina Trad. FR Garrett List/Anne Gennen Là où il y a meurtre, il n y a pas d esprit Là où il y a des armes, il n y a pas de bien-être Là où il y a la peur, vient la colère. Personne ne se rappelle d un temps sans meurtre. Abel était le dernier à ne pas craindre son frère. Mais comment abandonner les armes Et rester debout sur le champ de bataille? Le meurtre, dit un vieux sage, Est seulement le déclencheur de cascades en série; Vient ensuite le vol, Et finalement, le plus grave, le mensonge. Là où il y a esprit, il n y a pas de meurtre. Réalisant notre lien à l autre, le bien-être peut être. Chacun aspire au temps où il n y aura plus de meurtre. Nous ne sommes pas les premiers à refuser De vivre dans la peur de nos frères. Là.., sans menace, Vient l amour. C est pourquoi je me désarme Même sur le champ de bataille. Nous ne sommes pas les premiers. Là, sans menace, vient l amour