Sing for Hope Welcomes Arts & Health Pioneer Dr. Jill Sonke to Board

Appointment reflects organization's continued leadership at the intersection of the arts, public health, and community wellbeing

NEW YORK, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As healthcare systems, governments, and communities increasingly recognize the role of the arts in improving health and wellbeing, Sing for Hope today announced the appointment of Dr. Jill Sonke to its Board.

An internationally respected leader in arts and health, Dr. Sonke has spent more than two decades advancing research, policy, education, and practice at the intersection of creativity and wellbeing. She is a U.S. Cultural Policy Fellow with Stanford University serving in an appointment at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York; is Director of Research Initiatives and Research Professor in the Center for Arts in Medicine at the University of Florida; and co-directs the EpiArts Lab, a National Endowment for the Arts Research Lab in partnership with University College London.

Her appointment comes as Sing for Hope celebrates its 25th anniversary and continues to expand its work demonstrating how the arts can strengthen health, foster belonging, and improve quality of life.

"Jill has helped shape the field of arts and health through decades of scholarship, collaboration, and leadership," said Monica Yunus, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sing for Hope. "She brings invaluable expertise to our Board as we deepen our work across healthcare, education, research, and community wellbeing."

Dr. Sonke is recognized for helping advance arts and health as an evidence-based field, building collaborations among healthcare systems, artists, researchers, policymakers, and community organizations while contributing to the growing body of research demonstrating the measurable impact of creativity on physical, mental, and social wellbeing.

"I have long admired Sing for Hope's commitment to bringing the arts directly into the places where people live, learn, heal, and work," said Dr. Jill Sonke. "Having first connected with the organization nearly a decade ago at a National Organization for Arts in Health gathering and later advising Sing for Hope during its partnership with the New York State Department of Health and the Javits Center to bring live music to COVID-19 vaccination centers, I have seen firsthand Sing for Hope's ability to make incredible impacts. I'm deeply honored to join the Board and look forward to helping expand Sing for Hope's impact in communities around the world."

Over the past twenty-five years, Sing for Hope has grown into a leading arts and wellbeing organization, today reaching over 57 million people annually through public art, arts in healthcare, arts education, community wellbeing, and creative placemaking initiatives. Its flagship Sing for Hope Pianos program has transformed public spaces around the world, while its public health initiatives bring artists into hospitals, veterans' programs, schools, community health settings, and other spaces where creativity can strengthen resilience, connection, and wellbeing.

Today, Sing for Hope collaborates with partners including NYC Health + Hospitals, Moynihan Train Hall, Union Station in Washington, D.C., and Shukhee, Bangladesh's comprehensive digital healthcare platform serving more than five million patients, where the organizations have launched an arts-informed mental health initiative. This work is further strengthened through Sing for Hope's longstanding partnership with the International Foundation for Arts and Culture (IFAC), led by Global Patron Dr. Haruhisa Handa, whose decade-long philanthropic support has helped expand the organization's arts and health initiatives.

Dr. Sonke joins a Sing for Hope Board that includes leaders advancing the arts and health movement in complementary ways, including Jon Batiste, whose recent collaboration with Dr. Joanne Loewy and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai explores the role of "social music" in improving health and wellbeing, and Renée Fleming, whose bestselling book Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness has helped bring the science of music and health to broader public audiences.

"For twenty-five years, Sing for Hope has believed that creativity belongs wherever people seek healing, connection, and hope," said Camille Zamora, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sing for Hope. "Jill's appointment reflects the great momentum of the arts in health movement, and strengthens our commitment to ensuring that creativity is recognized as an essential resource for healthier communities."

Dr. Haruhisa Handa, Chairman of the International Foundation for Arts and Culture and Sing for Hope Global Patron, reflected on the broader significance of arts in health, the Sing for Hope board's evolution, and the organization's ongoing work.

"Music and the arts have the power to transform human hearts and minds," said Dr. Handa. "Sing for Hope continues to demonstrate how creativity can enrich lives and strengthen communities every day."

About Sing for Hope Sing for Hope harnesses the power of the arts to create a better world. Our creative programs bring hope, healing, and connection to millions of people in hospitals, schools, care facilities, and public spaces worldwide. A nonprofit organization founded in New York City in response to the events of 9/11, Sing for Hope partners with hundreds of community-based organizations, mobilizes thousands of artists in creative service, and produces artist-created Sing for Hope Pianos across the US and around the world. This year marks Sing for Hope's 25th anniversary, celebrating a quarter-century of dynamic creative service and dedication to bringing communities together through the transformative power of the arts. The official Cultural Partner of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, Sing for Hope champions art for all because we believe the arts have an unmatched capacity to uplift, unite, and heal.

Sing for Hope's work is made possible by the Sing for Hope Founders' Circle: The International Foundation for Arts and Culture (Dr. Haruhisa Handa, Sing for Hope Global Patron), Arnhold Foundation in loving memory of Sissy and Henry Arnhold, The Thea Petschek Iervolino Foundation, The Anna-Maria & Stephen Kellen Foundation, Jacqueline Novogratz and Chris Anderson, Pershing Square Philanthropies, The Seedlings Foundation, and Ann Ziff; and the generosity of public donors. Learn more at singforhope.org.

Media Contact:
Jennifer Register, Chief Brand Officer
Sing for Hope
[email protected]

SOURCE Sing for Hope