FIAF and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy Cordially
invite you to A special benefit concert for Haiti
Featuring Yanick Noah, Angelique Kidjo, Emeline Michel, BélO and Mino Cinelu
@ French Institute Alliance Française Florence Gold Hall 55 East 59th Street (Between Park and Madison)
Monday March 15, 2010 @ 8:00PM
Ticket $50-$150 Additional donations welcome Proceeds go toward Haitian causes www.ticketmaster.com 212 307 4100
CONTACT
www.fiaf.org
212 355 6160 (Info only)
http://www.newyorkinfrench.net/profiles/blog/show?id=3350642:BlogPost:40139&xgs=1&xg_source=msg_share_post
Yannick Noah, Emeline Michel, BélO, and Mino Cinelu
to
Perform in NY for Haiti Fund-Raising Haiti Benefit Concert at FIAF on March 15 at 8pm French superstar Yannick Noah, internationally acclaimed
Haitian vocalist Emeline Michel, up-and-coming Haitian singer-songwriter BélO
and French multi-instrumentalist and singer Mino Cinelu will share a NYC stage
on March 15 for a unique benefit-concert forHaiti during the month of la
Francophonie. Organized by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and
by FIAF (French Institute Alliance Française), the concert will raise funds for
the reconstruction of the Ciné Institute in Jacmel, a small city south of
Port-au-Prince, and for the French Heritage Language Program to help educate
young Haitian refugees in Miami and New York. This benefit-concert was made possible with the generous
support of Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank.
Yannick Noah is one of France's most beloved celebrities, a
tennis champion turned pop star. After winning 39 titles, including the 1983
French Open, he launched a highly successful singing career with many upbeat
hits such as "Saga Africa" (1991) and "Donne-moi une vie" (2006). The reigning
queen of Haitian song, Emeline Michel combines traditional styles, such as
compas, twoubadou and rara, with inspirational lyrics. Her latest release,
Queen of Hearts (2007), has earned rave reviews. BélO, aka Jean Bélony Murat,
is a 30-year old sensation from Haiti whose music is a fascinating mix of
reggae, voodoo and soul beats. His latest album, Reference, was released in
2008. A man of many musical talents and influences, Mino Cinelu has played and
recorded with such musical icons as Miles Davis and Sting. His latest album, La
Californie, was released in 2007 and was nominated for best movie soundtrack at
the Cannes Film Festival. These marquee performers have generously agreed to donate
their time and talent to raise funds for Jacmel's Ciné Institute and the French
Heritage Language Program. The town of Jacmel, which has been tentatively
accepted as a World Heritage site and has an estimated population of 40,000,
was completely devastated by the January earthquake. FIAF worked closely with
David Belle, co-founder of the Ciné Institute in Jacmel, for its World Nomads
2009 series dedicated to Haiti, and when he and his team sent an urgent appeal
for help, FIAF did not hesitate. By focusing its efforts on the Ciné Institute,
which provides the area's youth with film education and entertainment,
technical training, and media related employment opportunities, FIAF hopes to
make a real difference and help the Institute resume its educational and
training mission. As the United States welcomes thousands of Haitian children
fleeing the devastation in their country, schools with French programs are
facing increasing enrollment demands from their parents concerned about
continuing their children's education in French. The highly successful French
Heritage Language Program is ideally suited for this critical schooling task.
This five-year-old program, which is run by the non-profit French American
Cultural Exchange foundation (FACE), offers free, for-credit French classes
that build on the cultural heritage of students and help them achieve academic
success. Over 500 students have already benefited from this program within the
public school system, or at community-based centers in New York. A portion of
the evening's donations will be used to ramp up the program in order to meet
the large influx of new students from Haiti, and to launch French Heritage
classes in Miami, where many Haitian earthquake victims have sought refuge.
These new classes will start on February 27th at the Little Haiti Cultural
Center, in the presence of the Ambassador of France Pierre Vimont and the
city's mayor, Tomas P. Regalado. March is the international month of la Francophonie,
celebrated by over 200 million French-speakers in 68 countries across the
world. Solidarity is a key principle of la Francophonie, and francophone
countries have been quick to mobilize for Haiti following the January
earthquake. France, for its part, announced a massive aid package totaling
almost half a billion dollars (326 million euros).
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