Mexico City, April 11, 2026 — Cultures in Harmony is pleased to announce cultural diplomacy projects for 2026 in Mexico, the Philippines, Tunisia, Chile, Cameroon, and Afghanistan.
In Mexico, we sent David Pérez Olmedo, conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, and William Harvey, our founder, to the Sierra Tarahumara mountains from March 30 to April 6. While there, they donated 3 violins and 2 guitars from David’s family’s instrument shop, Educación Musical de Puebla. Check out this 3-minute reel about the instrument donations!
In the Philippines, from May 18 to 31, we will celebrate the 20th anniversary of our first project there by reviving our partnerships with our main partners, the Cartwheel Foundation, the Manila Symphony Orchestra, and Casa San Miguel. We will work with the Cartwheel Foundation, which fights for indigenous educational and cultural rights, to raise awareness regarding the ancestral land of the Tagbanua community. This collaboration will culminate in a concert in Manila on May 30. With the Manila Symphony’s Junior Orchestra, we will conduct master classes and perform a concert on May 23. We will present a violin master class at Casa San Miguel. Along with our founder, CiH will send violinist Rebecca Schlappich and soprano Alize Rozsnyai on this project.
In Chile, at the end of July, our founder will conduct a residency the Toki Music School on Rapa Nui, one of the most remote islands on the planet. While there, he will offer violin students a master class and give a performance with renowned pianist and Toki co-founder Mahani Teave and pianist-composer Alejandro Arévalo, whose violin-piano piece “Ka Tangi te vie Hiva” they will premiere.
In Tunisia, during the last week of August, we will work with Atlas to revive the Tabarka Jazz Festival, which was first established in 1973 and has seen the participation of luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis. We will underwrite the participation of renowned trumpeter Etienne Charles and his band.
In Cameroon, we will send a small group of musicians to participate in an event on December 30 honoring Cha Cha music in Bonakanda village. We look forward to returning to Cameroon!
Finally, Afghan musicians continue to struggle to survive, given the return of the violently anti-music Taliban in 2021. Within Afghanistan, they cannot earn a living in music. Those who have managed to leave also fight to cover the costs of their emigration. We will offer small but significant financial support to six Afghan musicians, based on their circumstances and needs.
We continue to work with our partners to expand the reach of our projects. For the project in Philippines, an anonymous donor based in Mexico will send the Mexican violinist Lo Mares to join us. For the project in Tunisia, we are working with Atlas to identify European jazz groups that will join Etienne Charles to help revive the Tabarka Jazz Festival.
Please join our many donors in helping connect people around the globe through the universal language of music. Make your tax-deductible donation today!
