Member Profile: Music for the People

Of all the artists featured at last year’s Benefit, few are as well-traveled as violinist, composer, and Fractured Atlas member William J. Harvey. Over the past two years his project Music for the People has ventured to Zimbabwe, Moldova, the Philippines, and Tunisia to present concerts, classes and workshops to underprivileged populations. He considers his music a form of cultural diplomacy.

“Cultural diplomacy is distinct from the diplomacy of states in that it doesn’t involve policies or negotiations,” says William. “Music makes an ideal medium for cultural exchange. Its universality partly stems from its political neutrality.”

William’s decision to follow this path was made after the attacks of September 11th. Shortly afterward he performed for members of the Fighting Sixty-Ninth regiment as they returned from a long day of rescue and clean-up work at Ground Zero. The experience instilled in him a desire to use the power of music to offer comfort and to bridge the barriers between cultures.

His travels have taken him to countries that are severely afflicted by poverty and disease. Most recently, he traveled to Zimbabwe to teach composition workshops to orphans affected by AIDS. “Other charities address the needs of the body,” he says. “What about the needs of the soul? There is a tendency to view people in third world countries as the sum of their most desperate needs. A kid who is hungry and orphaned because of AIDS is still a kid.”

William recently received the McGraw-Hill Companies’ Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach in recognition of his work with Music for the People. In 2007, he hopes to return to Tunisia, the Philippines, and Zimbabwe. He will perform select solo violin pieces at the Fractured Atlas 2006 Benefit.

You can find more information on Music for the People at www.musicforthepeople.org.