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For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Leanne Clancy at Lclancy@greenestreetfriends.org or 484-410-9664

PALESTINIAN AND ISRAELI YOUTH CHORUS TO APPEAR AT KIMMEL JUNE 28

(Philadelphia, June 15, 2015) “Transcending conflict through song.” That’s the motto of the Jerusalem Youth Chorus (JYC), an ensemble of Palestinian and Israeli high school students from East and West Jerusalem who not only sing together, but regularly discuss the challenging issues facing their divided region in the hope of being forces for peace. On June 28-29, JYC will be hosted by Pennsylvania Girlchoir (PG) and Keystone State Boychoir (KSB) when it comes to Philadelphia on the final leg of its US Tour.

The visit will include a “dialogue workshop” whereby members of PG and KSB will learn from the members of JYC how to discuss difficult topics in a open, honest, and respectful manner. Rather than focusing on the issues of the Middle East, the workshop will focus on race issues in America. The hope is that the young people of PG and KSB can use the communication skills they develop to be agents of change and peace in their own communities.

The visit includes a joint performance with all three choirs at 7:00pm in the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, June 28. The concert will also feature special guests the Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble. Tickets are on sale through the Kimmel Center Box Office at kimmelcenter.org. Premium seats can be obtained through “Peace in the Middle East” Sponsorships at cychoirs.org.

The Pennsylvania Girlchoir and Keystone State Boychoir organization serves over 650 young people between the ages of 4 and 18 throughout Philadelphia and the surrounding communities. Its singers are no strangers to the legacy of peace. KSB toured India with Gandhi’s grandson as well performed in Oslo at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Here at home, PG sang for Malala Yousafzai, Liberty Medal winner and the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in history. The choirs have travelled the globe, as far north as Svalbard, Norway, the northernmost settlement in the world with a permanent civilian population, and as far south as Antarctica. They are the only choral organization in history to have sung on all seven continents.

(Media can visit our Media Resource page http://cychoirs.org/jyc-media for background information, high resolution photos, and more. Please contact Leanne Clancy at Lclancy@greenestreetfriends.org or 484-410-9664 for more information and details on media availabilities during the JYC visit.)