Panamá por los Niños de Siria 
Opens International Series of Children of Syria Concerts
 
Join the Global Movement as Our Children of Syria Events Emerge in Berlin, the Middle East, Washington D.C., New Haven, Boston & New York

Panama Poster
 
Panama Perrault
Nadine Perrault, Senior Advisor for Child Protection, UNICEF TACRO
PANAMA CITY -Panamá por los Niños de Siria, held at the Ateneo Auditorium of the Ciudad del Saber (City of Knowledge) in Panama City on June 4th, 2013, raised $7,460 for UNICEF's efforts for the Syrian Emergency. Co-presented by UNICEF Panama, UNICEF TACRO (The Americas and Caribbean Regional Office), United Nations Development Programme Regional Center for Latin America and Caribbean, City of Knowledge Foundation, REDLAC (Risk, Emergency, and Disaster Task Force Inter-Agency Workgroup for Latin America and the Caribbean), the Associacion Nacional de Conciertos Panama, and Music For Life International, Panamá por los Niños de Siria featured Music For Life International pianists, Mark Kuss and George Mathew in music by Beethoven, Haydn and Schubert. The event was attended by an audience of more than 450 people from communities all over the country.
 
PCOS performance
Mark Kuss and George Mathew perform Beethoven's Egmont Overture at Panama for the Children of Syria
The evening's music was chosen to reflect the mission of the Year For The Children of Syria. Beethoven's Egmont Overture is the musical tale of a struggle against oppression and occupation. A violent insurrection is attempted and fails (as 
violence always does) and the music falls silent. Out of this silence new possibilities of choice arise. A new kind of revolution, born of self-knowledge and humaneness takes hold. The result is a celebration of freedom and joy for all the people, victim and oppressor alike. In his Symphony No. 104, Josef Haydn took Croatian folksongs which celebrate local and rural cultures as well as the musical energies of children. We hear Haydn's message as a tribute to the cultural treasures that every human being carries inside their own memories and experience. The Schubert F Minor Fantasy ended our programme with its uncanny expression of the inexpressible at the extreme limits of human experience and emotion, something usually impossible for words.  
 
Panama Justinia
Freddy Justiniano, Regional Head of UN Development Program in Latin America and the Caribbean speaks at Panama for the Children of Syria
Speakers at the event included Dr. Jorge Arosemena, Executive Director of the Fundacion Ciudad del Saber, Freddy Justiniano, Regional Director of UNDP LAC, Nadine Perrault, Senior Advisor for Child Protection, UNICEF TACRO and George Mathew, Artistic Director of Music for Life International. Four national level interfaith leaders including the Right Rev. Julio Murray, Episcopal Bishop of Panama; His Holiness Imam Mohammed El-Sayyed, Imam of the Islamic Center of Colón, Panama; Rev. Hector Quíros, of the Catholic Diocese of Panama City; and Baha'i Representative, Ms. Aurora Franco, offered prayers for peace at the event. We were thrilled to have the Orquesta Infantil De L'Escuela de Musica de Panama (Children's Orchestra of the Panama School of Music, a national program), representing the Children of Panama, presented a moving performance in support of the Children of Syria.
 
With Your Generous Support, The Year for the Children of Syria Will Resound Around the World

 

The enormity of the crisis in Syria and the inertia of the political process surrounding it have become distressingly familiar to all of us. The statistics are horrendous and continue to swell relentlessly. According to United Nations e estimates, 4 million Syrian children are in need of immediate assistance out of the 6.8 million people are now affected by the conflict. The brutality of the violence seems frequently to be aimed directly at children, more often than not, the youngest of children.

 

Panama audience
A Section of the Audience at Panama For the Children Of Syria

Our forthcoming events in Berlin, Washington DC, the Middle East, Boston, New Haven, and other cities around the world for the CHILDREN OF SYRIA will enable audiences, media, and communities to connect with this tragedy and the suffering of innocents through the extraordinary power of great music, and to be moved to bold action to end that suffering - but only with your support. On January 13th 2014 at Carnegie Hall, and in the months between now and then, we will place this crisis in Syria and the innocents affected by it on stages around the world. A host of musicians from many of the world's great orchestras are coming forward to be part of this YEAR FOR THE CHILDREN OF SYRIA, along with a growing community of artists, diplomats, and concerned individuals.  

 

The urgency and importance of this effort are clear, but to make it powerful we need your help. We have gathered the initial resources necessary. We would be very honored to have you participate in this concert as a contributor and supporter. With your help, we can create an impact beyond what any of us can do individually.

 

or make a tax-deductible donation of any amount today 

 

Donate online or send a check to: 

Music for Life International, Attn: Children of Syria

431 W 146th St, No. 4, New York, NY 10031

  

The funds raised by YEAR FOR THE CHILDREN OF SYRIA will be donated to UNICEF via US Fund for UNICEF and other UNICEF country agencies.

 

As Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged us to remember at the launch of this
Year for the Children of Syria, "...the children of Syria are our children."  
 
Sincerely, 
 
Kenneth M. Kramer, Chairman
Mark Kuss, Acting Treasurer 
Music For Life International 
 
Panama Youth Orchestra
The Children of Panama playing for the Children of Syria

Orquesta Infantil De L'Escuela de Musica de Panama

PANAMA FOR THE CHILDREN OF SYRIA in the Media 
 

UNICEF "Panamá se une por los niños de Siria a través de la música"

Ciudad del Saber "Concert at the Ateneo for the Children of Syria"

 
La Prensa "Repertorio de paz por Siria" 

 

La Prensa "Música para curar" 

 

PAverte Photo Gallery "Concierto Panamá por los niños de Siria" 

 

PAverte Videos "George Mathews y sus conciertos humanitarios" 

 

La Estrella "Por los niños de Siria" La Estrella 

 

 Panama Magazine "Concierto Panamá por los niños de Siria"  

 

 

Panama group
Artistic Director George Mathew with religious and community leaders of Panama before the event, including the Rev. Hector Quiros of the Catholic Diocese of Panama City, Dr. Jorge Arosemena, Executive Director, Ciudad del Saber Fundacion, His Holiness Mohammed Al-Sayyed, Imam of the Islamic Center in the city of Colón, Aurora Franco of the Baha'i community, Alma Jenkins (UNICEF), Janibeth Miranda (UNICEF) and Episcopal Bishop of Panama, the Right Reverend Julio Murray,
Panama GM MK UN
L-R: Mark Kuss, Alma Jenkins (UNICEF Panama), Nadine Perrault (UNICEF TACRO), George Mathew, Anna-Lucia D'Emilio (UNICEF), Inès Brill (UNDP LAC)


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Year for the Children of Syria
Join the Global Movement
 
Become an Individual Donor or Corporate Sponsor 
Or make a tax-deductible donation of any amount today 

 

Donate Online   

 

Checks may be sent to Music for Life International, Attn: Children of Syria

431 West 146th Street, No. 4, New York, New York 10031

 

Proceeds of this year-long initiative will benefit UNICEF's humanitarian programs for the Syrian Emergency 
Music for Life 
International 
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Shostakovich 
for the
Children of Syria
January 13, 2014

2013 Booklet
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Music for Life's 
 2013 Booklet
MFLI Welcomes New Board Member
Robert W. van Zwieten
Robert

Robert van Zwieten is the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Emerging Markets Private Equity Association ("EMPEA"). Previously, he served as the Asian Development Bank's Director of Private Sector Capital Markets, based in Manila, Philippines. 

 

Robert has 25 years of global senior executive experience in financial services in the United States, Europe and the Asia-Pacific (both developed and emerging markets). He has also lived in all three for extended periods. He has worked for Royal VOPAK, ABN AMRO Bank's Global Clients & Investment Banking Division, GE Capital and GE Energy, Lehman Brothers, and Singapore Exchange.

 

He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of International House. He is also a member of the Board of Advisors of Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (USA) in New York and of One Laptop Per Child (OLPC).

 

Robert holds an MBA from the University of Chicago - Booth School of Business, JD and MA degrees from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and an LL.M. degree from Columbia University School of Law.

Panama Imam
Imam Mohammed El Sayyed of Colón, Panama offers an interfaith invocation for peace as Catholic, Baha'i and Protestant leaders look on
Join the growing list of early supporters of the Year for the 
Children of Syria

Permanent Mission of the Principality of  
Liechtenstein to the United Nations 
H.E. Ambassador Christian Wenaweser,  
Permanent Representative

 

Parsons & Whittemore

George F. Landegger, Chairman

 

Stutzman Family Foundation

 

Bernstein Family Foundation

 

Bordini Foundation

 

Marcia & Jack Kelly

 

Joseph McDonald

 

Mona Zaabi

 

Reshma Alva 

 

H.E. Ambassador Csaba Kórösi,

Permanent Representative of Hungary to the United Nations

 

H.E. Ambassador Gréta Gunnarsdóttir,

Permanent Representative of Iceland to the United Nations

 

H.E. Ambassador Mirsada Colacovic,

Permanent Representative of Bosnia & Herzegovina to the United Nations

 

Permanent Mission of Timor L'Este to the United Nations

 

Neil A. Weinrib & Associates 

 

In Kind Donations 

Beethoven Pianos

Leon Banilivi Rugs

Banilivy Rug Corporation

Ron Haviv

The Metropolitan Opera

2BlackSuits

Nations Framing

 

music for life international, inc. (MFLI) was created to conceive and present musical concerts and related events to promote the awareness of significant international humanitarian crises and other public interest issues in the United States and throughout the world. MFLI takes its name from the legendary MUSIC FOR LIFE concert led by Leonard Bernstein at Carnegie Hall in 1987.

MFLI is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt not-for-profit organization.