Compassion Arts and Culture & Animals Foundation (CAF) are collaborating for this year's festival main event at Symphony Space in NYC. The "Compassion Arts & Culture and Animals Festival" will be on 10/21 & 10/22 to benefit CAF. This partnered festival of the arts will feature afternoon and evening programs with multiple presenters to explore our understanding of and compassion for animals and nature. We are also thrilled to share that the festival weekend will open Friday evening 10/20 with "Beasts of Burden," a pop-up exhibit of 15 artists by O’Hara Projects at TUF Gallery.
www.compassionartsfestival.com

The Festival is being produced in memory of CAF co-founder and pioneering animal rights philosopher Tom Regan, who died in February.

The Festival includes the world premiere of And the Hummingbird Says: A Song-Cycle about Wangari Maathai. The song cycle consists of five songs for four voices by the award-winning Japanese composer Mihoko Suzuki, with words by Martin Rowe, about the life and experiences of Wangari Maathai, the late Kenyan environmentalist and 2004 Nobel Peace Laureate.

Other presenters include:
Dale Jamieson
Jane O’Hara
Joy Askew
Gretchen Primack
Jo-Anne McArthur
Michael Harren
Ayten Alkan and the documentary Kedi
Yanoula Athanassakis
Our Hen House with John Yunker, Jasmin Singer, Mariann Sullivan, Eric Milano, and John Frusciante
Radhika Subramaniam
Donald Vincent
Ellie Sarty

The Festival, which offers discounts to students and Symphony Space members, is raising funds for two organizations: Hummingbird aims to help pay school-fees for students in Juba, South Sudan; the remainder of the Festival supports CAF, a volunteer non-profit that provides grants to scholars and artists who are advancing our understanding of and commitment to animals.

For information on the Festival’s four shows, the art exhibit, and to purchase tickets, visit compassionartsfestival.com. For more information on And the Hummingbird Says . . . , visit https://www.newmusicusa.org/projects/and-the-hummingbird-says. For more information on the Culture & Animals Foundation, visit http://www.cultureandanimals.org.