Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Donors,
I am writing with gratitude, and a request on behalf of the people of Myanmar.
When Arts Mandalay began ten years ago, we envisioned a Myanmar of growing democracy with a brilliant musical arts tradition gaining world recognition. Some small part of that vision holds promise, due to your support, and the extraordinary people of Myanmar.
Donors like you are keeping a dream alive: your generosity provides talented youth from all over Myanmar a chance. The Inwa School of Performing Arts still stands; it welcomed new students in June; and school principal Ma Htay presides over a safe place where students are learning professional skills as performing artists.
Here is how the Inwa School has adapted to conditions in Myanmar.
Several times each month, the Inwa School's artist troupe leaps onstage at the Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay's holiest site. With classical performances sanctioned by the Buddhist priesthood, spirits are uplifted and people remember their cultural resilience.
Students are gaining audiences online. With a little bit of new equipment and a lot of panache, students are posting video performances on Facebook and gaining a huge national following. Some videos receive more than one hundred thousand views.
Conditions include severe inflation, shortages, and times of lockdown due to danger and disruption. Principal Ma Htay has managed times of questioning from authorities and the entire staff has shown ingenuity and incredible resolve. I am awed by their dedication. With teaching and dormitory space limited the school has adapted the former Mintha Theater space for broader use. The entire school has improvised, as artists do.
Inwa School needs donors now more than ever. Grant monies won in the past are not available under current political conditions. The Mintha Theater cannot operate, nor have international visitors returned. Myanmar is under a "Do not travel" advisory from the U.S. government. In today's Myanmar, a scholarship for a young teen in Myanmar is a ray of hope. Please consider supporting a student, aged 15-18, in their quest to carry on a dynamic arts tradition.
Our goal is to double the size of the school, from 20 students today to 40 in a year's time. A donation of $1800 provides lessons, food, and shelter for a year. We recognize there are many ways to help Myanmar now. Your donation with Arts Mandalay Foundation is a student's ticket to a hopeful future. Please give what you can.
With gratitude,
Daniel Ehrlich
Executive Director
ehrlich.dan@gmail.com
artsmandalay.org
7 Park Ave.
Unit 2
Somerville, MA 02144
I am writing with gratitude, and a request on behalf of the people of Myanmar.
When Arts Mandalay began ten years ago, we envisioned a Myanmar of growing democracy with a brilliant musical arts tradition gaining world recognition. Some small part of that vision holds promise, due to your support, and the extraordinary people of Myanmar.
Donors like you are keeping a dream alive: your generosity provides talented youth from all over Myanmar a chance. The Inwa School of Performing Arts still stands; it welcomed new students in June; and school principal Ma Htay presides over a safe place where students are learning professional skills as performing artists.
Here is how the Inwa School has adapted to conditions in Myanmar.
Several times each month, the Inwa School's artist troupe leaps onstage at the Mahamuni Pagoda, Mandalay's holiest site. With classical performances sanctioned by the Buddhist priesthood, spirits are uplifted and people remember their cultural resilience.
Students are gaining audiences online. With a little bit of new equipment and a lot of panache, students are posting video performances on Facebook and gaining a huge national following. Some videos receive more than one hundred thousand views.
Conditions include severe inflation, shortages, and times of lockdown due to danger and disruption. Principal Ma Htay has managed times of questioning from authorities and the entire staff has shown ingenuity and incredible resolve. I am awed by their dedication. With teaching and dormitory space limited the school has adapted the former Mintha Theater space for broader use. The entire school has improvised, as artists do.
Inwa School needs donors now more than ever. Grant monies won in the past are not available under current political conditions. The Mintha Theater cannot operate, nor have international visitors returned. Myanmar is under a "Do not travel" advisory from the U.S. government. In today's Myanmar, a scholarship for a young teen in Myanmar is a ray of hope. Please consider supporting a student, aged 15-18, in their quest to carry on a dynamic arts tradition.
Our goal is to double the size of the school, from 20 students today to 40 in a year's time. A donation of $1800 provides lessons, food, and shelter for a year. We recognize there are many ways to help Myanmar now. Your donation with Arts Mandalay Foundation is a student's ticket to a hopeful future. Please give what you can.
With gratitude,
Daniel Ehrlich
Executive Director
ehrlich.dan@gmail.com
artsmandalay.org
7 Park Ave.
Unit 2
Somerville, MA 02144