Judith Lynn Stillman’s Historic Remembrance, Resilience and Renewal:

Sunday, April 28, 2024 at 2:30pm
Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Providence, RI February 20, 2024

Judith Lynn Stillman, Rhode Island College’s Artist-in-Residence, serves as the Artistic Director, pianist, and curator of Remembrance, Resilience and Renewal: Genocide Awareness through the Arts, a multidisciplinary program embracing the music, art, spoken word, and dance of four extraordinary and resilient cultures that have faced the scourge of genocide. This event takes place during Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month, on Sunday, April 28th at 2:30pm at Sapinsley Hall at Rhode Island College’s Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts. Pre-Registration is required.

Admission is free.

There is a suggested donation of $10 per person at the door.

Judith Lynn Stillman has brought together 15 diverse multinational artists for a tour-de-force collaboration which she explains aims “to raise awareness about, and in condemnation of, the atrocity of genocide; to remember and honor those who were lost as a result of the inhumanity of humans to other humans; and to celebrate the resilience and fortitude of survivors, peoples, and cultures through the arts.”

Genocide Awareness and Prevention Month is commemorated in April – why April? This month was chosen because April contains many significant dates in the history of genocide. These include the beginnings of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the Armenian Genocide, the Cambodian Genocide, and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the Nazi regime perpetrating the Holocaust. The 20th Century is often referred to as the “Century of Genocide.” Tragically, this trend has continued into the 21st Century.

The historic program includes renowned Cambodian Pinpeat musician Song Heng - a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide - and his grandchildren, in a performance of traditional Cambodian music; Cambodian-American sculptor Alex Tum, a Rhode Island College student and a rising star in the art world; celebrated Armenian-American soprano Anush Avetisyan and venerated Armenian violinist Khachatryan who will create a work of art live on stage during musical performances; collaborative musical works in remembrance of the Holocaust with Rhode Island Philharmonic musicians Ian Greitzer and Willine Thoe; Rwandan poetry written by Haki Madhubuti, founder of the oldest independent black publishing house; and the world premiere of an original multidisciplinary work by Judith Lynn Stillman — We Have No More Tears — based upon a traditional Rwandan folk melody, featuring African dance specialist and choreographer Shani Collins-Achille, narrator and steel pan virtuoso Becky Bass, vocals by Anush Avetisyan, the Silk Rhode Singers, and Rhode Island College student, alumni, and faculty musicians Michael Laurendeau, Bryan Round, Joe Bentley, Michael De Quattro, and Judith Lynn Stillman.

Judith Lynn Stillman, an artistic visionary who uses her art to “give voice to the voiceless,” is reputed for her “true genius” as she leads audiences “on a journey through pain and loss, toward healing, solidarity and hope. Stillman reaches for the stars and succeeds brilliantly in transporting us through darkness toward life and growth” (The Armenian Weekly). Coming up on Sunday, March 10th at 7:30pm, Judith Lynn Stillman and Friends from the Rhode Island Philharmonic will present a Women’s History Month Musical Celebration: Women Trailblazers in Music: A play-within-a concert™ by Judith Lynn Stillman at the Rhode Island Philharmonic Music School. This event explores the tunes and tales of women composers spanning 12 centuries and will feature Judith Lynn Stillman, Artistic Director, writer and pianist with Becky Bass, Charles Dimmick, Rachel Braude, Brent Selby, Ian Greitzer, and the Silk Rhode Singers. For more details, visit: https://bit.ly/FriendsofRIPhil-JudithLynnStillman