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***EVENTADVISORY—WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 2 AT 11:00 A.M. EST***

CARNEGIE HALL’S WEILL MUSIC INSTITUTE & U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
CONNECT NEW YORK CITY STUDENTS WITH PEERS AROUND THE WORLD
THROUGH CARNEGIE HALL CULTURAL EXCHANGE CONCERTS

Simultaneous, Linked Concerts Connecting Mexico City
and New York City Feature Latin Group Celso Duarte Sextet
and Jazz Ensemble Maurice Brown Effect;
February 2 Concerts Held at Teatro Julio Castillo and Carnegie Hall’s ZankelHall 

(January 31, 2011, NEW YORK, NY) Carnegie Hall’s Weill MusicInstitute (WMI) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational andCultural Affairs announced today that they will virtually bring students fromsix Mexico City schools and seven New York City schools together on Wednesdaymorning, February 2 through an interactive concert in New York’s Zankel Hall,kicking off this season’s Carnegie Hall Cultural Exchange program for highschool students.

Fusing technology and music, this program gives students the unique opportunityto explore music from other cultures through educational programs that are incorporatedinto each participating school’s classroom curriculum. Cultural Exchange’sfocus this season is on the music of Mexico. As part of the year-long program,WMI offers students in both New York City and Mexico City the chance to attendtwo interactive, video conferenced concerts featuring renowned jazz and Latinmusic artists.

FEBRUARY 2 AND MAY 20 — CULTURAL EXCHANGE: MUSIC OF MEXICO

This year’s Cultural Exchange concerts contrast the diverse forms of music inMexico with American jazz. The first Cultural Exchange concert will be held on Wednesday,February 2 at 11:00 a.m. ET, featuring celebrated Latin act Celso DuarteSextet performing at the Teatro Julio Castillo in Mexico City for fivedifferent schools while the Maurice Brown Effect—a NYC based jazz andR&B band—performs for seven New York City schools at Carnegie Hall’s ZankelHall. In the second concert on Friday, May 20 at 11:00 a.m. ET, theseensembles will travel to each other’s countries with the Celso Duarte Ensembleperforming for the New York City audience and the Maurice Brown Effectperforming for the Mexico City audience. During each of these concerts studentswill study the relationship between freedom and structure in traditionalMexican Son Jarocho music and American jazz. Through a video conference link,students in New York and Mexico will be able to hear the music performed inboth locations and ask each other questions.

Participating New York and International Schools for Cultural Exchange:Music of Mexico:

In New York:
Baccalaureate School for Global Education – Astoria, NY
City College Academy of the Arts – New York, NY
Frank Sinatra School of the Arts – Astoria, NY
Martin Van Buren High School – Queens Village, NY
Millennium High School – New York, NY
Queens Collegiate High School – Jamaica, NY
Scarsdale High School – Scarsdale, NY

In Mexico City:
Centro Universitario México – Mexico City, Mexico
Instituto de Educación Media Superior del Gobierno del Distrito Federal:Preparatorias Cuajimalpa y Iztapalapa – Mexico City, Mexico
Instituto Nacional de Bellas Artes – Mexico City, Mexico
Centro de Educación Artística Diego Rivera (CEDART) – Diego Rivera – MexicoCity Mexico
Escuela Nacional de Danza Clásica y Contemporánea – Mexico City, Mexico

Artist Information for Cultural Exchange: Music of Mexico
Mexico City-based harpist Celso Duarte performs on Paraguayan harp,Celtic harp, and Mexican Jarocho harp. In 2007, Mr. Duarte and his ensemblereleased the album From South to South, marking the debut album of hisensemble. Duarte has performed alongside such artists as Lila Downs, WyntonMarsalis, and Mercedes Sosa. His music embraces the vibrant musical landscapesof Mexico and South America and contributes to that region’s continuing musicalevolution. His ensemble is made up of classically trained musicians, and theyinterpret songs from the Jaranero movement, South American folk music, and fusethese songs together with traditions of jazz and world music.

Innovation is the key to jazz trumpeter Maurice “Mobetta” Brown’ssoulful melodies, which can be heard on both R&B legend Aretha Franklin’sand hip-hop star Talib Kweli’s recordings. Maurice’s 2004 debut album, Hipto Bop, made top ten charts across the U.S. Raised in south Chicago,Maurice was awarded a full music scholarship to Northern Illinois Universityupon graduating from high school. After winning first place in the esteemedNational Miles Davis Trumpet Competition, Maurice found new flavor in the heartof Louisiana, where he continued his studies at Southern University—andcaptivated audiences weekly, headlining at New Orleans’ premiere jazz club,Snug Harbor. Maurice currently resides in New York and has just released hissophomore album, Cycle of Love.

The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall
The Weill Music Institute creates broad-reaching music education and communityprograms that play a central role in Carnegie Hall’s commitment to making greatmusic accessible to as wide an audience as possible. Woven into the fabric ofthe Carnegie Hall concert season, these programs occur at Carnegie Hall as wellas in schools and throughout neighborhoods, providing musical opportunities foreveryone, from preschoolers to adults, new listeners to emerging professionals.With access to the world’s greatest artists and latest technologies, the WeillMusic Institute is uniquely positioned to inspire the next generation of musiclovers, to nurture tomorrow’s musical talent, and to shape the evolution ofmusical learning itself. The Weill Music Institute’s school and community programsannually serve over 170,000 children, students, teachers, parents, young musicprofessionals, and adults in the New York metropolitan area and across the US,with more than an additional 100,000 people taking advantage of WMI’s onlinemusic education resources.

The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) promotes internationalmutual understanding through a wide range of academic, cultural,private-sector, professional, and sports exchange programs. ECA exchangesengage youth, students, educators, artists, athletes, and emerging leaders inmany fields in the United States and in more than 160 countries. Alumni of ECAexchanges comprise over one million people around the world, including morethan 50 Nobel Laureates and more than 300 current or former heads of state andgovernment.


Program Information:
Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.
Friday, May 20, 2011 at 11:00 a.m.
Zankel Hall
CULTURAL EXCHANGE: MEXICO

CELSO DUARTE SEXTET
Celso Duarte, Harp, Jarana, and Vocals
Violeta Ortega, Voice, Jarana, and Zapateado
Alfredo Herrera "Godo", Voice, Jarana, and Guijada
Juan José Duarte, Flute, Clarinet, Sax, and Jarana
Luis Gómez, Percussion
Rodrigo Duarte, Cello, Bongo, and Cajon

MAURICE BROWN EFFECT
Maurice Brown, Trumpet
Derek Douget, Alto Saxophone
Solomon Dorsey, Bass
Chris Rob, Piano
Joe Blaxx, Drums
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Sony Corporation is the proud lead sponsor of Carnegie Hall’s Online ExchangeCommunities.

Carnegie Hall Cultural Exchange is sponsored by MetLife Foundation.

Carnegie Hall Cultural Exchange is supported, in part, by the Bureau ofEducational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State.

The Weill Music Institute’s programs are made available to a nationwide audience,in part, by the US Department of Education.

The Weill Music Institute’s programs are made available to a nationwideaudience, in part, by the US Department of Education.

The Cultural Exchange concert experiences are supported, in part, by The TishmanFund for Education through Technology and by an endowment grant from the CitiFoundation.


Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.