Polyphony Foundation To Establish An Israeli Youth Chorus Of Jewish And Arab Elementary Students Announced At 2015 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

NEW YORK, Sept. 30, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Polyphony Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the divide in Israel between Arabs and Jews through the power of music, announced the formation of the Polyphony Youth Chorus, a choral group made up of Arab and Jewish Israeli elementary students, at the 2015 Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting.  The 60-student choir of girls and boys in grades 2 through 6 will be equally composed of Arab students from the Hassan Arafeh School in Jaffa and Jewish students from the Yehuda HaMaccabi School in Tel Aviv.

"Civil society benefits us all," said Craig Cogut, the co-founder of Polyphony Foundation and founder of Pegasus Capital Advisors. "Encouraging young children to interact in mixed groups helps minimize cross-cultural conflict. The Polyphony Youth Chorus will work with children whose lives are made vulnerable by limited socio-economic opportunities in a country too often divided by warring factions."

This new commitment will expand Polyphony's established work in Israel, bringing Arab and Jewish Israelis together to appreciate and perform classical music.  Polyphony Education offers the largest musical education program in Israel with 12,000 students, youth orchestras and mixed ensembles, conservatories, residencies and an emerging professional orchestra.  Through their involvement in conservatories and orchestras, young Arab and Jewish musicians practice and perform together, developing friendships through their shared passion for music.  For most, this is the first time they have become friends with someone from a different background.  In turn, the audiences attending Polyphony concerts are both Arabs and Jews – a rarity in Israel.  Polyphony has shown that music is not only inherently beautiful, but also a facilitator of dialogue and understanding, opening doors to help people of all religious backgrounds come together throughout Israel.

About Polyphony Foundation Founded in 2011, Polyphony Foundation is an exempt organization as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code; EIN 27-5559473.  Polyphony Foundation supports music education, including the music education programs of Polyphony Education, an Israeli not-for-profit organization, that create common ground for Jewish and Arab youth to come together around classical music in Israel.  Its mission is to find common ground through common sound:  Polyphony creates programs where young Arabs and Jews in Israel can come together through classical music.  Polyphony provides multi-tiered programing in several cities and towns to move students, starting in kindergarten, from beginner to professional performer through classes, seminars, explained concerts, conservatories, tours, and orchestras.  As these dedicated young people advance they encounter increasingly-mixed groups of Arabs and Jews and learn to understand and appreciate music as they learn to understand and appreciate one another. With roots in Nazareth, Polyphony programs now reach more than 12,000 students and provide training and employment for over 100 musicians and teachers around the country. For more information, visit www.polyphonyfoundation.org.

SOURCE Polyphony Foundation

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http://www.polyphonyfoundation.org