Co-Founders of 'Sing for Hope' Receive Virtual Fall Residency with the U of A

Photo by Fay Fox

Camille Zamora, left, and Monica Yunus, co-founders of "Sing for Hope."

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – RefleXions Music Series, a project funded by the University of Arkansas Chancellor’s Grant for the Humanities and Performing Arts Initiative, is pleased to announce that “Sing for Hope” co-founders Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora will be joining the U of A for a fall virtual residency.

The RefleXions Music Series and residency are sponsored by the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Music and KUAF 91.3.

Internationally acclaimed sopranos Yunus and Zamora started “Sing for Hope” while studying at the Julliard School of Music in response to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, understanding then that music had the power to heal their community and to provide solace in the midst of chaos.

Now, “Sing for Hope” is an “artists’ peace corps” that reaches millions of people annually worldwide.

“We’re so grateful to the entire tremendous RefleXions team for their incredible vision and action in creating this powerful new program,” Yunus said. “University of Arkansas is leading the way with RefleXions, and Camille and I are thrilled to be the inaugural guest artists of this exemplary program.”

Camille Zamora, left, and Monica Yunus, co-founders of “Sing for Hope.”

During their residency, Yunus and Zamora will be leading a free, public masterclass for student and professional singers, other musicians, choir directors, audience members, art advocates and music teachers, featuring U of A voice students.

The masterclass will be delivered via Zoom from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5. The class is free and open to the public but advance registration is required. After registering, participants will receive a confirmation email containing log-in details.

Yunus and Zamora will also be featured in the RefleXions Podcast in November, which will be broadcast on KUAF 91.3 FM. The duo will also lead an open panel conversation Dec. 3 with art leaders in the community about social impact through the arts.

Further detail about these events will be shared later in the fall.

Lia Uribe, director of the RefleXions Music Series and professor in the music department, said “Sing for Hope” is guided by the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, and has partnered with hundreds of community-based organizations and city agencies.

“RefleXions guest artists Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora are the perfect individuals to join us this fall because the arts and artists are greatly suffering due to the pandemic, and ‘Sing for Hope’ activates the creative arts as drivers of healing, learning and social cohesion,” Uribe said.

Uribe said that just as the duo knew the transformative power of the arts was needed in the aftermath of 9/11, Yunus and Zamora see the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity for re-invention to aid in the healing of our communities.

“The pandemic and social unrest in our communities present the opportunities to explore the same types of healing transformation through conversation, masterclasses and panels,” Uribe said. “Together, through the arts, we can reconsider the future, address its challenges, and create our calls for action.”

Zamora agreed, adding, “The arts are a delivery system for hope, equity, connection and renewal. They have unique power to address individual and communal spirit, which is a first step toward healing, especially in moments of crisis. So now more than ever … it’s a joy and an honor to do this work this semester with great students and faculty.”

About the RefleXions Music Series: RefleXions was conceived as a celebration of music, musicians, advocates and audiences, and as a series of events that foster creative justice and diversity through opportunities to reflect, learn, grow, change and teach. The RefleXions team is a collective of U of A individuals from different backgrounds who bring unique perspectives and commitment to the highest standards of scholarship, research and aesthetic diversity. The team includes Erika Almenara of the Department of World Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; Rogelio Garcia-Contreras of the Sam M. Walton College of Business; Antoinette Grajeda and Leigh Wood of KUAF 91.3; Ronda Mains, Catalina Ortega, Eric Troiano and Lia Uribe of the Department of Music; and students Connor Gott, Olga Khokhryakova, Liz Luzcando and Bailey Ross. Learn more about the RefleXions Music Series and its upcoming events at Reflexionsmusic.org.

About the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with three schools, 16 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the majority of the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among fewer than 3 percent of colleges and universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.