Why Participate?
World Music: A Feast for the Ears takes the place of our annual International Dinner, which is typically held in person and generates a good portion of our necessary funding. Welcoming the Stranger offers classes in English, citizenship, and computers completely free of charge to adult immigrants living in our neighborhoods right here in greater Philadelphia. Founded in 1999, we have taught nearly 5,000 students from 104 different countries. During the pandemic, we’re pressing on with online classes via Zoom with the help of our committed volunteer teachers. This year, with the proceeds from World Music: A Feast for the Ears, we hope to provide all of our lead teachers with their own dedicated laptops and online curriculum tools, a project that will cost $20,000. Your contribution of $30 or more to be a part of World Music: A Feast for the Ears will help us reach our goal and ensure adult immigrants can continue their education.
Sponsors
We wouldn’t have this great event without our sponsors! Thank you to all the businesses and organizations below that have helped to make this virtual fundraiser possible.
Bucks County French Meetup
Friends of Sturgis Poorman
Mr. & Mrs. Christopher Bursk
Julie Jensen Bryan & Robert Bryan
Ms. Marguerite Chandler
Debbie & Dan Wachspress
Kathy & John Kraeck
Mark Morano
Caryn Smith
Kendra Schieber
Donald & Melody Thompson
Gloria Liias
If your business would like to become a sponsor for a $100 contribution, you can fill out the sponsor donation form on our donation page, or you can email us at office@welcomingthestranger.org.
World Music: A Feast for the Ears
A virtual concert benefiting Welcoming the Stranger
Welcoming the Stranger is excited to announce World Music: A Feast for the Ears, a one-of-a-kind video concert featuring world-class performers from around the globe. This exciting compilation will be made available to you, our valued supporters, as a “thank you” for your donation of $30 or more. It premieres on Saturday, October 23rd, 2021 at 8:00PM.
To join us in celebrating music and dance representing the homelands of our indomitable, resilient international students, simply make your secure, tax-deductible donation here or click the Donate & Register button. You’ll receive an immediate email confirmation.
Then, the week prior to the premiere, you’ll receive an email with a link and credentials to access the concert via the internet upon its release. (Good news: the concert video will remain accessible for viewing until Saturday, November 6th, so you can participate and view at your convenience even if you have a conflict on October 23rd.)
The week of the concert, you’ll also receive a special digital gift: a recipe sampler PDF featuring international appetizers and cocktails/mocktails that you might like to prepare at home. We hope this will enhance your concert viewing experience and capture some of the “flavor” of the International Dinner.
We hope you will join us for this wonderful evening! Please remember to invite friends and family and share our event on social media! Thank you for your support of local immigrants and refugees seeking to learn English, master computers, and gain citizenship.
Musical Artists & Performers
Villalobos Brothers
The Villalobos Brothers, one of today’s leading contemporary Mexican ensembles, fuse the richness of Mexican folk music with the intricate harmonies of jazz and classical music in original compositions and arrangements. The ensemble’s virtuosic performances have delighted audiences throughout Latin America, India, Russia, Canada, and in more than 30 states across the US.
Taikoza
Taikoza is led by Marco Lienhard, a master of the shakuhachi and fue flutes and taiko drums. Marco toured as a taiko drummer with the Japanese drumming troupe Ondekoza for 18 years prior to founding Taikoza in New York in 1995. Taikoza has toured the US, Japan, Mexico, and Europe, with appearances at some of the world’s most prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, Osaka Castle Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Center and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Ling Tang
Ling Tang is a New York City based dancer, educator, and consultant. She arrived in the United States in 2002 after fifteen years of traditional Chinese dance training and continued her dance education here, adding contemporary dance to her accomplishments. Ling has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Harman Center for the Arts, Smithsonian Institutes, among other venues and festivals.
Slavic Soul Party
Fiery Balkan brass, throbbing funk grooves, Roma (Gypsy) accordion wizardry, and virtuoso jazz chops make Slavic Soul Party! NYC’s official #1 brass band for BalkanSoul GypsyFunk. Over the past 15 years the band has toured in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Turkey, and Zimbabwe, from pasha’s palaces to dive bars, Carnegie Hall to Serbian schoolyards, festival stages to prison courtyards.
Nicolas Carter
Internationally acclaimed harpist Nicolas Carter is a bilingual, bicultural musician and theatre artist, raised in Paraguay and Minnesota, USA. He has been performing and composing harp music for more than 25 years, focusing on an original repertoire that blends Latin American music with influences of world contemporary music. Nicolas has recorded over a dozen albums in United States, Europe, and South America as a solo artist and with Latin American and world music ensembles.
Salaam
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Salaam has delighted audiences for years with its expansive mix of traditional and original Middle Eastern music. Exquisitely rendered melodies are woven with stories and musings, taking the listener on a musical journey. Their sound, while deeply rooted in maqam and entrancing Middle Eastern rhythms, is infused with the band's fresh and innovative interpretations.