The Schiller Boston Chorus hosted a centennial celebration concert honoring master musician and teacher, Sylvia Olden Lee. We also marked the birthdays of patriots President’s John F. Kennedy (100th) and John Quincy Adams (250th) in this concert of African-American Spirituals, Verdi, Mozart, solo, ensemble, choral music and more held on October 15th in Dorchester, Mass, at the St. Mary’s Episcopal Church. Thank you to the Boston Neighborhood Network for filming the concert. All performances were at the Verdi tuning of C=256.
The program included selections from Life of Christ by Roland Hayes, Robert Schumann’s entire Dichterliebe and operatic arias performed by local artists, Brian and Ana Landry and Christina DeVaughn among others.
On April 21st, the Schiller Institute organized a cultural event in Dresden under the title “A Dialogue of Cultures along the New Silk Road,” with 150 attendees.
Lasting peace, stability and shared well-being should, of course, be at the heart of international relations. But this does not start at the negotiating table of politicians, but in all our hearts. And what could not unite the souls and hearts of our peoples better than the idea of truth, freedom and beauty. Cultural contributions, Music and poetry from different countries and cultures established a new standard of optimism among the audience
This event was a proof, that a qualitatively new world order {is} possible; that we, by seeing our own true self reflected in the beauty of other cultures, find that higher “placement,” from which that persisting nightmare of geopolitics can be overcome, once and forever!
This is the greeting from the Chinese Ambassador to Germany which was read to the audience:
Greetings from his Excellency, the Ambassador Shi of China, to the Schiller Institutes’ “Dialogue of Cultures along the New Silk Road”:
I am really pleased with the fact, that the Schiller Institute conducts a cultural dialogue centered around the implications of the New Silk Road. When the President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping, presented the historical initiative of the “One Belt, One Road,” it was met with broad approval and support by the international community. During the past several years, the New Silk Road attracted a vast attention globally as an economic and infrastructure program. Yet, it is not only an economic corridor, but a road of a cultural exchange as well.
From a historical viewpoint, the New Silk Road began as a commodities trade route, but its significance reaches far beyond trade and became a major corridor for the communication of the
different cultures of the world. Via the Silk Road, the cultural centers of mankind were able to interact with each other through large distances, and by doing so, the great civilizations like
China, India, Arabia, and Europe learned from one another and respected each other. None of these civilizations at the time lost their independence or space for their own development because of the connectivity through the Silk Road, quite the opposite. The mutual learning enabled the countries to absorb additional knowledge and to gain new potency within their own peculiarities.
In the course of worldwide globalization and digitalization, a transcultural and supra-regional exchange and cooperation became ever more important. China wants to deliberate, build, and
profit from the “One Belt, One Road” initiative in a shared manner with all the countries alongside the New Silk Road. Thus, not only the economies of the countries along the road ought to be developed, but also the cultural exchange between China and the other nations. Until the end of 2017, China already signed more than 300 agreements for cultural exchanges with the governments of the countries along the New Silk Road, and implemented plans to that effect. Multilateral cultural cooperation mechanisms within the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, as well as among China and countries of eastern Europe, of Arabic nations, and of the ASEAN states, have already been established. This certainly contributed to the aim of bringing the people alongside the New Silk Road closer together.
It is my hope that the participating experts and artists are able to openly and profoundly exchange their views and thoughts within this dialogue, and I wish you all success.
10:00 a.m. U.S. EDT; 16:00 CET. The following times are U.S. EDT.
Panel Moderator: Dennis Speed
10:00 — Opening Remarks & Introduction Dennis Speed, Schiller Institute
10:15 — Keynote Address Helga Zepp-LaRouche Founder and Chairman, Schiller Institute
10:55 — H.E. Dmitry Polyanskiy, 1st Deputy Permanent Representative The Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations
11:10 —H.E. Ambassador Huang Ping Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in New York “For a Better Future: Proposed Principles Needed to Ensure Peaceful and Productive Relations Between China and the United States”
11:25–12:00 — Q&A with Zepp-LaRouche and representatives of Russia and China
12:00 — Jacques Cheminade Chairman, Solidarité et Progrès, former French Presidential Candidate “A Europe Not To Be Ashamed Of”
12:20 — Michele Geraci Economist from Italy, former Undersecretary to the Development Ministry in Rome
12:35–1:15 — Q&A with Zepp-LaRouche, Cheminade, and Geraci
1:15 — Helga Zepp-LaRouche “Introducing the LaRouche Legacy Foundation”
1:30–2:00 — Q&A continued
Panel 2: For a Better Understanding of How Our Universe Functions
3:00 p.m. U.S. EDT; 21:00 CET. The following times are U.S. EDT
Panel Moderator: Jason Ross
3:00 p.m. — LaRouchePAC Science Team: Megan Beets, Benjamin Deniston, Jason Ross “In Defense of the Human Species”
3:40 — Jean-Pierre Luminet, PhD Astrophysicist; emeritus researcher at National Center of Scientific Research “The Role of ‘Free Invention’ in Creative Discovery”
4:00 — Michel Tognini Astronaut; Association of Space Explorers founding member “Friendship Between Astronauts: An Exemplary Precedent for International Cooperation”
4:15 — Walt Cunningham Apollo Astronaut “Apollo 7: An Astronaut’s Reflections”
4:30 — Marie Korsaga, PhD Astrophysicist, Burkina Faso “The Necessity of Science Education for African Youth”
4:45 — Sen. Joe Pennacchio New Jersey State Senator, 2008– “Making Nuclear Fusion a Reality”
4:50 — Will Happer, PhD Professor Emeritus of Physics, Princeton University “The Inside Story of Contemporary Science”
5:05 — Guangxi Li, MD, PhD Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing “Chinese Medicine Treatment of COVID-19”
This concert playlist features artists who will speak on the culture panel on Sunday. Panelist Eugene Thamon Simpson performs Spirituals by Hall Johnson, panelist John Sigerson sings a Schubert song, and the Schiller Institute NYC Chorus performs the Beethoven Mass in C, under the direction of John Sigerson, with a full orchestra tuned to C=256 Hz.
Sunday, April 26
11:00 a.m. U.S. EDT [17:00 CEST]
Panel 3: Creativity as the Distinctive Characteristic of Human Culture: The Need for a Classical Renaissance
11:00 a.m. U.S. EDT; 17:00 CET. The following times are U.S. EDT
11:00-11:15 — Beethoven, “An die ferne Geliebte,” op. 98 John Sigerson, tenor, Margaret Greenspan, piano
11:15 — Lyndon LaRouche “I Have Insisted That Music Is Intelligible!”
11:20 — Helga Zepp-LaRouche Founder and Chairman, Schiller Institute
11:40 — William Warfield “A Poetic Musical Offering”
11:45 — Willis Patterson Bass-baritone, professor emeritus / Associate Dean of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance “The Presence of the Classical Principle in Folk Music”
12:10 — John Sigerson Music Director for the Schiller Institute, co-author of A Manual on the Rudiments of Tuning and Registration “The Physical Power of Classical Poetry and Music”
12:30 — Dr. Eugene Simpson Professor emeritus of Voice and Choral Literature, Rowan University of New Jersey; Founding Curator of the Hall Johnson Collection “Hall Johnson and the Dvorak Dream: From Spiritual to Art Song”
1:00 — Diane Sare Founder and co-director, Schiller Institute NYC Chorus “On the Employment of Chorus in Politics”
1:25 — Conference Greetings, Gregory Hopkins Founder and Artistic Director, Harlem Opera Theater.
1:30 — Teng Jimeng, PhD
Beijing Foreign Studies University
1:45 — Discussion and Q&A
Panel 4: The Science of Physical Economy
Sunday, April 26, 3:00 p.m. U.S. EDT [21:00 CEST]
3:00 p.m. U.S. EDT; 21:00 CET
The following times are U.S. EDT.
Panel Moderator: Dennis Speed
3:00 — Dennis Small United States; Schiller Institute Director for Ibero-America “LaRouche’s Legacy: Foundation of the Modern Science of Physical Economy”
3:30 — Sébastien Périmony France; Schiller Institute representative “When Africa Looks to the Stars”
3:45 — Cédric Mbeng Mezui Gabon; Author; Financial sector expert; Think Tank FinanceAfrika “Unlocking the Potential of Africa – Ideas by Alexander Hamilton”
4:00 — Phillip Tsokolibane Leader of LaRouche South Africa “Make Africa an Economic Powerhouse to Benefit All Mankind”
4:15 — Ms. Yang Yan Political Counselor, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Paris “Franco-Chinese Cooperation in Africa”
4:25 — Six American Farm Leaders Bob Baker, Virginia; Schiller Institute agriculture co-coordinator Joe Maxwell, Missouri; former Missouri Lt. Governor, co-founder of Family Farm Action Alliance Tyler Dupy, Kansas; Executive Director of the Kansas Cattlemen’s Association Frank Endres; California, member of the National Farmers Organization for 63 years Bill Bullard; Montana, CEO R-CALF USA Jim Benham, Indiana; State Pres. of Indiana Farmers Union, 20 Yr. National Board member, National Farmers Union Mike Callicrate, Kansas; Colorado, Bd of Directors of Organization for Competitive Markets, Owner Ranch Foods Direct “Feed the Future: Eating Is a Moral Right. A Dialogue With American Farmers”
4:55 — Prof. Mario Roberto Morales Professor, writer, and recipient of Guatemala’s “Miguel Angel Asturias” National Prize for Literature, 2007 “The Productive vs. the Speculative Economy: A View from Central America”
5:05 — Jack Lynch Consultant; former Vice-President, First Midwest Bank of Illinois “Reinstate Glass-Steagall”
5:15 — Daisuke Kotegawa Research Director at Canon Institute; former Japan Ministry of Finance official; former Executive Director for Japan IMF “Failure to Address Cause of 2008 Financial Collapse Caused Public Health Collapse”
5:20 — Ellen Brown President, Public Banking Institute (USA) “Productive Credit, not Predatory Debt”
The following resolution is being circulated internationally by the Schiller Institute.
At a time when we are witnessing growing mindless violence, the degeneration of cultural values, an almost unrivaled dumbing-down of popular taste, and the brutalization of interpersonal relations, we nonetheless still have a crucial source from which a cultural and moral regeneration can be spawned: classical art! The magnificent image of man that is associated with the poetic works of Dante, Petrarch, Lessing or Schiller, or the sublime compositions of Bach, Mozart, Verdi, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann or Brahms, is still a reference point for the way in which we define ourselves as a society.
But when we consider the role of the artist in contemporary culture, and apply the yardstick given by Schiller:
The dignity of man is in your hands,
Preserve it!
It falls with you! With you, it will rise!
A degraded picture emerges. Our education system hardly conveys any knowledge of classical culture, our so-called youth culture is dominated by a cult of ugliness, and classical culture itself is under massive attack. For decades now, post-war theater companies have invented new abysses of hideousness, productions of Shakespeare or Schiller have become unrecognizable, opera stages have also become battlefields for some time, on which the perverse fantasies of various directors are played out, and now self-styled modern composers are even molesting the compositions of Beethoven, evidently because they are unable to create anything themselves.
This must be stopped! The time has come to launch a counter-offensive!
The Year of Beethoven, in which many Beethoven compositions will be performed all over the world, offers a wonderful occasion for us to recall the best of our cultural tradition in western culture and to oppose it to the moral downward trend of the past decades. We can no longer leave a theater and music mafia, that has ruined classical art, at the helm. Therefore, we call for the creation of a Renaissance movement for the defense and revival of classical art. As Friedrich Schiller demonstrated so incontrovertibly in his Aesthetical Letters: It is only in great art that we can find the inner force to develop our own creativity and to improve ourselves as persons.
The world is currently in the midst of an epochal change in which the previous era, dominated by trans-Atlantic countries, is clearly coming to an end, and the focus of development is shifting to Asia, where there are several peoples who are rightly proud of their civilizations, some of which are more than 5,000 years old, and foster them. If the West has anything to contribute to shaping in a humanist spirit the emerging new paradigm in the world, it is our advanced culture of the Renaissance and the Classics.
In a sweeping review of the confluence of crises confronting humanity today, Helga Zepp LaRouche concluded that what is required, instead of panic and despair, is a calm assessment of actions which can lift mankind out of the neoliberal, geopolitical mindset, into the creative state of mind which enabled mankind to climb out of the Dark Age of the 14th century. She emphasized that the crises threatening us today have resulted from the failure to listen to Lyndon LaRouche since his forecast of August 15, 1971. As an example, she referenced the Coronavirus as the kind of threat that was envisioned by Lyn in the 1970s, which led him to establish a biological holocaust task force.
At every step of the devolution of the quality of leadership—which is on display today in the monetarism and Green ideology which dominates policy discussion in Europe, and in the Democratic Party nomination contest—LaRouche offered a clear and well-defined alternative. Today, that can be summarized by the need to adopt his Four Power proposal, as the basis for a New Bretton Woods, and his Four Laws, based on the requirements for reviving the level of physical economic production needed to overcome the crises.
She concluded by reminding viewers of the role of Boccaccio in making conscious the depravity of the Dark Age, which inspired those who launched the Renaissance, especially Dante and Cusa. It was by rejecting the dominant Aristotelian philosophy of the day, and replacing it with Plato, that modern European civilization was launched. There are no problems that we face today, which cannot be solved by taking the launching of the European Renaissance as a model, based on a return to the classical method of thinking.
They came from around the world. They came bearing gifts. Not gifts you could touch with your hands. But gifts that touched your soul. Gifts of beautiful music, and beautiful dance.
And the people came to hear them. And they kept coming, and they kept coming till none of the 120 seats were left. And after there was no more room for extra chairs, they stood in the aisles, and they stood in the lobby, and they sat behind the curtains. They were Danes, and they were diplomats, and other people, from many nations, maybe 200 in total.
The dialogue of cultures between the sponsors of the concert, itself, led to the great success — the Schiller Institute, the Russian-Danish Dialogue organization, the Russian House in Copenhagen, and the China Culture Center of the Chinese Embassy (about to open, which also provided intermission food). And the concert was held in the Russian Center for Science and Culture of the Russian Embassy.
Firstly, the people were told by Schiller Institute chairman Tom that we have a unique moment in world history, where the potential is there for the U.S. to join the new paradigm of economic development sweeping the world. Secondly, they were told by the spokeswoman for the Russian-Danish Dialogue, that a dialogue of culture can lead to peace in the world. They were also the interchanging hosts for the evening.
Then the procession of gift-givers began.
From Russia came children playing Russian folk songs on balalaikas, and a baritone who has sung on 200 stages, performed Mozart and Gounod, together with his pianist. From China came a very musical young science student who played many flutes, and sang a Chinese love song, a duet, with Feride. From Indonesia came a traditional dancer, who filled the room with her grace. From Ghana came two young men who sang and played a religious song, and a song about when we work together, we are stronger than when we stand alone.
And from Denmark and Sweden came three outstanding female opera singers, whose tones, and dramatic intensity moved the audience profoundly. Their offerings were songs and arias from Schubert, Verdi, Dvorák and Sibelius. An international bright star of a soprano who recently retired from the Royal Danish Opera; a fantastic mezzosoprano with roots in Hungary and Turkey, who is also a member of the Middle East Peace Orchestra; and a soprano, Leena, we have heard for many years blossoming into a truly magnificent artist. The first two were accompanied by an extremely talented young Danish woman pianist, and the later by our Benjamin.
He, and his mother Anika, poignantly played Beethoven’s Romance for violin and piano, continuing the legacy bequeathed by their ancestor from Hungary.
For the finale, the musicians sang Verdi’s song of freedom, “Va, pensiero,” with the addition of four members of the Schiller Institute’s future chorus. See the program at: www.schillerinstitut.dk/si/?p=17637
And the people were uplifted, with each presentation by itself, and with the succession of one piece of music, or dance, after the other, one country after another, traditional music in dialogue with Classical music, weaving a tapestry of sound, sight and delight.
And the people were asked to be in contact with us, and to consider joining the Schiller Institute’s chorus, some of whom wrote that they would.
A musical testament to the paradox of the unity and diversity mankind, expressed by human creativity, and a powerful statement of the dialogue of cultures was declaimed.
Presented by:
The Schiller Institute in Denmark
Russian-Danish Dialogue
The Russian House
The China Culture Center
Participating artists/Medvirkende:
Anika Telmányi Lylloff, violinist
Benjamin Telmányi Lylloff, pianist, Danmark
Christine Raft, pianist, Danmark (not shown in the video. She accompanied Idil Alpsoy and Gitta-Maria Sjöberg.)
Feride Istogu Gillesberg, sopran, albansk bosat i Danmark
Fred Kwaku, pianist, Ghana
Gitta-Maria Sjöberg, sopran, Sverige/Danmark. Sweden/Denmark (not shown in the video. She sang Rusalka’s Song to the Moon by Dvořák accompanied by Christine Raft )
Idil Alpsoy, sopran, Sverig/Danmark, Sweden, Denmark (not shown in the video. She sang songs from Sibelius’ Op.37 and 88, accompanied by Christine Raft.)
Isaac Kwaku, sanger, Ghana
Kai Gao, sanger, fløjtenist, Kina
Leena Malkki, sopran, Sverige
Sarah Noor Komarudin, danser, Indonesien
Valerij Likhachev, baryton, Rusland
Helga Zepp-LaRouche, Founder and Chairwoman of the Schiller Institute (via live video hookup); Dr. Patrick Ho, Chairman, China Energy Fund Committee; Former Secretary for Home Affairs of the Government of Hong Kong
On Wednesday, January 1, 2020, the Virginia Schiller Institute Community Chorus and friends, hosted their largest ever New Year’s Concert featuring timeless choral pieces from Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, Verdi, and Dvorak.
Our concerts are becoming a growing institution in the area, not just for audience members, but for local musicians who like performing with us. A talented violinist, who is a regular on the “classical music scene” in DC/Northern Virginia, remarked that he always appreciates the openness of our audiences, seeing “normal” people genuinely appreciating the beauty of the pieces, as opposed to the “professional audiences” he so often performs for, who are more concerned with “being seen” at such events, than letting the music move them.
The audience was full and diverse. Choral directors from churches across the area came to hear the concert, political contacts of the Schiller Institute attended, including an Ambassador and his family from a Southeast Asian country, music students, and others who ventured out to find something different than watch football on New Year’s Day!
The program of the event is below. Audience members were given the text and translations for each of the pieces to follow along.
Beethoven, Die Ehre Gottes aus der Natur Haydn, Die Himmel Erzälen, from The Creation Brahms, Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen, from German Requiem Bach, Quia Respexit, Omnes generationes Handel, Ombra mai fu, tenor, Reginald Bouknight Puccini, Recondita armonia, from Tosca, tenor, Reginald Bouknight Mozart, In uomini, in soldati, from Così fan tutte, mezzo, Pamela Butler Beethoven, Harp String Quartet, op. 74 (1809), I. Poco adagio – Allegro
Intermission
Mendelssohn, Neujarhslied Beethoven, Serenade, op. 25 (1796), VI. Adagio – Allegro vivace e disinvolta Kreisler, Praeludium and Allegro (1905) Mozart, Laudate Pueri, from Solemn Vespers Verdi, Va Pensiero, from Nabucco Dvorak/Fisher, Goin’ Home Hall Johnson, Lord, I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired Handel, Worth is the Lamb, Amen, from The Messiah Joy to the World, Everyone sing!
The fact that these were seemingly “ordinary” people from the community performing these masterful pieces in a local church was not lost on the audience. In fact, it seemed to enrich the event for people, many who then asked themselves, “well, maybe I could sing?”
The other remarkable part of the this and other concerts the Schiller Institute hosts, was articulated best by our director, Mike Billington in remarks he made on a LaRouchePAC Fireside Chat broadcast,
“It was a concert of Beethoven, Brahms, and other great Classical choruses, with some wonderful professionals, who volunteer their time to come and play with us, because they love to work with us because of our commitment to the idea of the aesthetic education of the population. The fact that this many people from all walks of life showed up in Leesburg, Virginia to watch a Schiller Institute Community Chorus concert, I think in itself reflects the transformation that’s taken place in the United States; and the potential of the LaRouche message — the slanders and the attacks that characterized the treatment of LaRouche over these years, including his incarceration, is no longer believed.”
Founder and President of the Schiller Institute, Helga Zepp-LaRouche issued the following message:
Message of condolence to the Alexandrov Ensemble and the People of Russia
In the name of the International Schiller Institute, I wish to express our deep condolences for the tragic loss of the the 92 human beings who died in the plane crash on the way to Syria. This accident is all the more a cause for sadness, as the music and patriotic spirit characteristic of the members of the Alexandrov Ensemble would have brought a message of hope to the people of Syria. This is a population victimized by more than five years of the criminal policies of regime change and treated as the pawns in a geopolitical game in complete violation of their sovereignity.
The Alexandrov Ensemble has been an expression of the highest moral values of Russia and, like classical choral singing in general, speaks to the soul and the creative potential of the audience. It is therefore extremely important that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that he is initiating auditions to pick the best talents to fully restore the Alexandrov Chorus.
The training of the singing voice is important for everybody, since a well-placed voice can express the creative intention of the composer and directly speak to the same faculty in the audience. It represents, therefore, an irreplaceable element of the harmonious development of the character. Let me therefore share with you the idea that, in addition to rebuilding the Alexandrov Ensemble, thousands of Alexandrov choruses be established in schools all over Russia to honor the heroic contribution of Russia in the liberation of Syria and, at the same time, broaden the uplifting effect of choral singing to the young generation.
There is a New Paradigm in the process of becoming as exemplified by the integration of the Eurasian Union and the New Silk Road Initiative, establishing a completely new kind of relations among nations. We need a dialogue of the best tradtions of each culture for this New Paradigm to grow into a new era of civilization—the knowledge of the best of another culture will lead to a love for it, and therefore supercede xenophobia and hatred with more noble emotions. In this new era, geopolitics will be overcome forever and the dedication to the common aims of mankind will establish a higher level of reason. It is a reason for consolation for all of us, that the tragic death of the victims of the plane crash contribute with their immortality to the building of that better world.
Helga Zepp-LaRouche
Chairwoman, International Schiller Institute
Musical Offering to the Alexandrov Ensemble and the People of Russia
Members of the NYC Schiller Institute Community Chorus sing the Russian National Anthem outside the Russian Consulate in New York in honor of the passengers, many of them members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, who died when their plane crashed enroute to Syria, Sunday, December 25, 2016.
