THE 88 CONCERT TOUR

THE 88 CONCERT TOUR
KIMBALL GALLAGHER, PIANIST
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. Abstract
II. Impact
III. Summary and Stats
IV. Humanitarian Highlights
Afghanistan, Myanmar, Taiwan
V. Overview of Activities by Country
VI. Commissions & Works Composed for the 88 Concert Tour
VII Collaborators
Musicians
Composers
Students
Sponsors
Partners
Advisory Board
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ABSTRACT
Kimball Gallagher’s 88 Concert Tour culminates at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall on
April 13, 2015 after more than 300 concerts since 2008.
The Carnegie concert launches Gallagher’s newly formed non-profit that develops
and executes innovative cultural programs through music and continues the work
started in the 88 Concert Tour. The Tour began as way to revive salon culture and
invigorate people’s engagement with classical music around the world. The initial
concerts resonated so powerfully with audiences that the Tour expanded from
88 to 338 concerts across all seven continents. In a number of countries the Tour
connected with humanitarian causes ranging from improving rural education in
Taiwan to bringing wastepickers out of the underground economy in India.
Gallagher has created a model that redefines the 21st century musician as a
self-driven creative entrepreneur, performer, ambassador, teacher, and mentor.
He has lectured on this new model in several countries and has taught music to
hundreds of students of all ages around the globe. In the past 18 months, he has
performed in-person for over 15,000 school children.
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Gallagher at a home concert in Maryland, USA
IMPACT
30
325
Countries
Continents
(including Antarctica)
Miles Traveled
Agents | Agency | Manager
Performances
Listeners
Grants Applied For
Corporate Sponsors
137
Donors
6
300k+ 0
7
40k+ 0
12
$77,800
RAISED IN CHARITY
CONCERTS FOR SIXTEEN
ORGANIZATIONS
SUMMARY
The final concert of Kimball Gallagher’s 88 Concert Tour will be held at Zankel
Hall at Carnegie Hall on April 13, 2015 and will launch his new non-profit that develops
and facilitates music festivals, performances, intimate home concerts, education
programs and multi-lateral cultural exchanges on a global scale. Originally conceived
as 88 home concerts around the world, the 88 Concert Tour commenced with a
performance at Carnegie Hall on March 10, 2008.
Gallagher's journey with home concerts began with a simple recital in a living
room. The host and his guests enjoyed the music, Gallagher’s spoken introductions
to each piece, and a question and answer session. The salon experience inspired the
young artist and irrevocably altered his path. “Performing in the intimate setting of
a home was completely different from performing in a concert hall,” says Gallagher.
“It changed me in a profound way, and it made me realize how powerful music is in
connecting people with one another. I wanted to harness that energy in less-explored
settings, and do something different with my career.”
Gallagher performing at Carnegie
Hall
Over time, the 88 Concert Tour grew into a much larger initiative that has included
more than 300 international performances. The Tour has taken Gallagher across the
seven continents (including Antarctica) and to such countries as Afghanistan, Egypt,
India, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Tunisia. In total, Gallagher has performed for nearly
40,000 listeners in 30 countries. Settings have included living rooms in Fiji, the Cairo
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Opera House, a private New York apartment with actor Ethan Hawke, gatherings at
the United Nations in New York, and dozens of elementary schools in rural Taiwan.
The humanitarian activities of the Tour took shape by virtue of joint programs
with non-profit organizations Gallagher met on the road; in the process he helped
raise over $75,000 for 16 of his partner organizations. Alongside Taiwanese pianist,
author, and Juilliard alumna Kaiyin Huang, Gallagher co-founded the Myanmar Music
Festival, an educational initiative and a first for Myanmar. Nobel-laureate Aung San
Suu Kyi hosted the festival’s closing concert. Gallagher’s newly launched non-profit is
an umbrella organization that will formalize and extend these efforts.
As a musician-entrepreneur, Gallagher has arranged his 338 events by
building relationships—entirely without the use of any agents, agencies, or managers.
Through friends and partners, he created his own network of performance venues.
Gallagher has lectured on the subject of entrepreneurship and mentored especially
gifted students from Afghanistan, India, Myanmar, and Tunisia—several of whom have
received sponsorship to continue their music studies in the U.S.
The final performance of The 88 Concert Tour recital will be at Carnegie Hall’s
Zankel Hall on Monday, April 13, 2015 at 7:30 PM. Programming features musical
highlights from the Tour including Michael Harrison’s Jaunpuri for piano, tabla, voice,
and tambura; staples of the classical repertoire including Franz Liszt’s epic Sonata
in B Minor; and works by living composers Gallagher has met during his travels. The
concert is made possible through the generous support of patrons Pedro Beroy and
Marianne Jurgaitis, Augusta Gross and Leslie Samuels, Veronica Bulgari, Mary and
Walter Miller, and others. Tickets will be on sale through the Carnegie box office.
Before a concert at the Cairo Opera
House in Egypt
STATS
Positive feedback from the tour led to more than 5x
growth in the number of concerts per year.
The tour began with concerts in private homes and has
spread throughout the world to include a wide variety of
other venues, schools of all sorts, and the great large concert halls of the world.
26%
6%
29%
39%
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
30
60
90
120
# of concerts
5X
GROWTH
PER YEAR
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Audiences across a broad base of countries
have resonated with Kimball’s performances….
and contributed to supporting the tour.
TAIWAN
USA
TUNISIA
MYANMAR
USA
TAIWAN
TUNISIA
MYANMAR
CHINA
EGYPT
PAKISTAN
FRANCE
INDIA
INDIA
EGYPT
CHINA
PAKISTAN
FRANCE
0
10
% OF PERFORMANCES
100%
0
100
HIGHEST % of TOTAL CONTRIBUTIONS
After an elementary school concert in
Hsinchu County, Taiwan
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HUMANITARIAN HIGHLIGHTS
In a world where billions of people lack basic services we often overlook music. Our instinct
is to focus on food and shelter. Yet in the most difficult of circumstances, the healing, hope,
and meaning that come from music inspire and give people strength to carry on.
Cooperation is fundamental to our humanitarian challenges, whether facing oppressive
regimes or summoning disaster relief. But cooperation is also ever more elusive as
nations and individuals pour their energies into self-preservation. Music cuts through our
differences, brings disparate world-views together and forms a foundation for mutual trust.
We cannot solve our problems alone and music is a convening point—something we can
all agree upon while pursuing the complicated work of facing our challenges.
The following pages highlight just three of the countries where the Tour has focused on
childhood education as an entry point for engaging with local humanitarian issues: reversing
years of Taliban control in Afghanistan, creating a liberal democracy in Myanmar after half
a century of military rule, and closing the urban-rural opportunity divide in Taiwan.
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VT\
AFGHANISTAN
Elham with his new piano and his parents
at his home in Kabul, Afghanistan
“When you came to our school I
learned how to compose... music
changed my life a lot. I can
show my feeling for the people
with music. I love music. Music
is my life.”
– Elham Fanoos, Student from
Afghanistan National Institute
of Music
Before 2001, under the Taliban, music was illegal in Afghanistan
and people could only listen to music in secret. After the Taliban
was removed, the musical void remained largely unfilled until
2008 when Dr. Ahmad Sarmast founded the Afghanistan
National Institute of Music (ANIM). ANIM serves 150 students
from Kabul and has been the leader in rebuilding the musical
infrastructure of Afghanistan. Since 2011, Kimball Gallagher has
visited ANIM as a piano faculty member three times. In addition
to private piano lessons, collaborations with ANIM students and
faculty, and two concerts at the German Embassy, Gallagher
has also led composition workshops where students learned
to spell their name in musical notes, with each letter of their
name corresponding to a note on their instrument. As a result of
participation in this workshop, a fifteen-year-old pianist, Elham
Fanoos, composed a short piano piece using his name. Kimball
often performs Fanoos’s piece while sharing the story of ANIM
with audiences. Such a performance at a private concert in
Dubai in January, 2013, led to an audience member donating
an electronic keyboard to Fanoos.
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MYANMAR
For the bulk of the past 50 years before 2012, the
military junta controlled Myanmar and the country
was closed to most of the rest of the world. Western
classical instruments were not easily acquired, and
quality classical teaching and performing were
not readily available. In 2013, Gallagher, alongside
Taiwanese pianist Kaiyin Huang, visited Myanmar to
teach and perform at Gitameit Music School, one of
the few music schools in Myanmar. This visit sparked
the inception of the Myanmar Music Festival, the
first international classical music festival of its kind
in Myanmar. The yearly festival brings together
international artists to perform and to teach emerging
Myanmar artists. Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi hosted the closing concert during
the 2014 festival.
“So you are helping us not just
artistically but politically as well ….
we can all join together to contribute
towards harmony and peace and
freedom in our world.”
–Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi
After the concert hosted by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
with the Myanmar Music Festival team
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“Children living in the mountains
barely have the opportunity to go
to concerts. While the musicians
introduced different music from
around the world, the children
finally have the opportunities to
experience other cultures.”
-- Teacher at Phoenix elementary
school in Taiwan
TAIWAN
While Taiwan enjoys a generally high level of music performance, the music education in public primary schools
is often limited to a passive approach where students do
not experience joy and engagement with classical music.
Kimball, along with Taiwanese pianist and author Kaiyin
Huang, inititated Taiwan 88, a series of 88 concerts targeting underprivileged schools throughout all of Taiwan’s
17 counties. To date, Kimball and Kaiyin have performed
innovative interactive concerts in 61 schools, for 15,000
students. They have been named artistic consultants to
the mayor of Hsinchu county and are planning a Teaching
Artist Program that will train emerging artists in Taiwan to
engage with students and other audiences who are not
exposed to high-quality classical music performances and
presentations.
Teacher at Phoenix Elementary School in Taiwan
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OVERVIEW OF ACTIVITIES BY COUNTRY
Afghanistan—Three residencies in consecutive years, to ANIM, the
Afghanistan National Institute of Music, the only music school of its kind
in Afghanistan. ANIM changed the course of the 88 Concert Tour toward
international expansion and also toward incorporating humanitarian work
with performances.
Antarctica—A performance on King George Island at the Chilean Antarctic
Institute sponsored by DAP airlines and attended by the Antarctic explorer
Alejo Contreras.
Austria—A private home concert, surprisingly rare in Vienna, as well as
two performances at a home for mentally challenged adults.
Gallagher in Antarctica with 2 Penguins and
Australia—A one-day visit to AB Paterson College on the Gold Coast, for the Russian Orthadox Church after his conmaster classes and a performance.
cert at the Chilean Escudero Base
Chile—En route to Antarctica, a memorable performance with the
Pudahuel youth orchestra in Santiago as well as several performances in
Punta Arenas.
China—A series of private concerts for banks and wealth management
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companies, as well as two concerts sponsored by the government of Siyang, Jiangsu Province, which were broadcast
to 200,000 people.
Egypt—Commissioned and performed the world premiere of Akhet, a concerto for chamber orchestra, soprano,
and piano by composer Ryan Francis based on an ancient Egyptian text. In addition, a sold-out solo performance
at the Cairo Opera House and a residency at the American University of Cairo.
Fiji—With virtually no western classical music on the main island, a week-long series of eight events at two
universities, the U.S. Ambassador’s residence, and several private events.
France—A series of private concerts in spectacular private venues including Chateau de la Gard in Bourg-enBresse, and Chateau d’Andert.
Germany—Several private performances including cruise ship concerts on the Danube river and at a castle in
Saxony.
Hungary—A private performance in Budapest featuring the Liszt Piano Sonata in B Minor.
India—In each of six cities, a concert paired a local music foundation with a local NGO supporting wastepickers,
some of the poorest people in the world. Musical workshops with the wastepickers preceded each concert. The
tour of India featured three new commissioned works blending Indian and Western classical music. To make a
meaningful link between classical music and environmental issues the wastepickers deal with on a daily basis,
Gallagher identified the notion of ‘Economy of Means,’ or making the most of any particular resource. During the
concerts Gallagher demonstrated how Beethoven created a musical masterpiece from just three notes.
Japan—Two private concerts in Tokyo and two concerts for students at the American School.
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Italy—A concert at the Bulgari estate in Tuscany.
Lebanon—An outdoor classical recital in the mountain village of Galboun as part of Galboun’s summer music
festival.
Malaysia—A performance in Sarawak for the 50th anniversary of the Peace Corps. Sarawak was the site of Gallagher’s
mother’s 1969-1971 Peace Corps service. Additional performances and lectures took place in Penang and Kuala
Lumpur, in collaboration with Ramli Ibrahim, Malaysia’s most well known dancer.
Mongolia—With a tour guide introducing Gallagher to the School of Music and Dance, Gallagher performed for an
eager group of music students during a two-day trip.
Myanmar—The 88 Concert Tour’s first visit to Myanmar led to the inception of the International Myanmar Music
Festival in 2014. Preparations are underway for the 2015 Festival.
Pakistan—A series of 10 performances and master classes in Lahore, Islamabad, and Karachi, including collaborations
with Pakistani musicians.
Peru—Performances in Peru are laying the foundation for master pianist and composer Hwaen Ch’uqi’s return to
Peru. Ch’uqi is Gallagher’s longtime friend who was born in 1974 near Cusco. At the age of five, after losing his sight,
he was adopted by a family in Pennsylvania, and has yet to return to Peru.
Singapore—Two lectures and a performance at Singapore Management University, and a master class and lecture
at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory.
South Africa—A tour of private concerts in Cape Town, Peitermaritzberg, and Pretoria, including a benefit concert
for a hospice in Pretoria.
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Switzerland—Several private performances.
Taiwan—The 88 Concert Tour spawned a regional project called Taiwan 88, which
brings innovative educational concerts to underserved schools in Taiwan. In the past
14 months, 15,000 students and 61 schools have been visited, along with private
concerts and a sold-out performance at the National Recital Hall in Taipei.
Thailand—Two special performances at the Thailand Cultural Center, one in memory
of Princess Galyani and the other for the Siam Society and King Bhumibol.
Tunisia—Gallagher has been on the faculty at the Atlas Summer Music Academy for
eight years. The Atlas Summer Music Academy is a partnership between Cultures in
Harmony, a U.S. NGO, and the Atlas Association, a Tunisian NGO. Kimball has been the
deputy director for Cultures in Harmony in Tunisia for the past four years. Additionally,
he has performed for the interim Tunisian government and toured around Tunisia with
composer and former finance minister, Jaloul Ayed, raising money for NGOs.
Turkey—Several private performances.
United Arab Emirates—One private performance which resulted in the host committing
to ship a piano to the gifted Kabul piano student, Elham Fanoos.
Spectacular Cathedral next to
the ruins of Carthage, Tunisia
United States—The origin of the Tour and the country where the most private home
concerts have taken place.
Vietnam—A home concert in Hanoi.
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COMMISSIONS & PIECES COMPOSED FOR 88 CONCERT TOUR
Akhet for chamber orchestra, piano, and soprano by Ryan Francis
A Poets Journey for solo piano by Hwaen Ch’uqi
Premiere in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt 2013
Premiere TBA 2015
Children’s Games for piano 4 hands by Kechia Chen
Ranng di Bassant for solo piano by Reena Esmail
Premiere TBA 2015
Commissioned by Kimball Gallagher, performed on India Tour, 2012
Impromptu for solo piano by Souhayl Guesmi
Toy Kaleidoscope for piano 4 hands by Ming-Hsiu Yen
Premiere TBA, 2015
Premiere in New Taipei County, May 2015
Au Jardin des Plantes for solo piano by Melissa Odens
88 Preludes for solo piano by Kimball Gallagher
Premiere in Paris, February 2013
A set of 88 short original compositions dedicated to concert hosts
and honored guests. Each composition uses musical notes that
Jaunpuri for solo piano, tabla, tambura, and vocals by Michael
are generated by taking the name of the host and assigning a note
Harrison
to each letter of her or his name.
Performed in 15 countries, 2012-present
Let the Wind Speak for solo piano by Simon Fink
Premiere at private home concert
Ode to Antarctica for solo piano by Christina Courtin
Premiere in Antarctica, 2014
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Hélène Tysman, Piano
Hannah Wang, Piano
Anya Yermakova, Piano and Dance
COLLABORATORS
MUSICIANS
Guitar and Ethnic Instruments
Nafees Ahmed, Sitar
Akbar Ali, Tabla
Khaled Arman, Guitar and Rubab
Sebastian Perez, Charango
Arsalan Pervaiz, Guitar
Abdullah Khan Sahib, Shenai
Pakistan
Pakistan
Afghanistan
Chile
Pakistan
Pakistan
Voice
Henda Chaabene, Soprano
Zion Daoratanahong, Soprano
Merle Fairhurst, Soprano
Kirsty Griffiths, Mezzo-Soprano
Haythem Hadhiri, Tenor
Michelle Mettler, Mezzo-Soprano
Josephine Stevens, Soprano
Yosra Zekri, Soprano
Tunisia
Thailand
Germany
Switzerland
Tunisia
USA
Fiji
Tunisia
Piano
Amy Gustafson, Piano
Kaiyin Huang, Piano
Bruce Levingston, Piano
USA
Taiwan
USA
Strings
Erin Breene, Cello
William Harvey, Violin
Zoe Martin-Doike, Violin
Sebastian Ruth, Violin
Robin Rzeck, Cello
Joel Schut, Violin
Rob Schumitsky, Violin
Leonid Sigal, Violin
Adrienne Taylor, Cello
Marc Uys, Violin
France
Taiwan
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
USA
South Africa
Winds
Jason Noble, Clarinet
Australia
Ahmad Farid Shefa, Clarinet
Afghanistan
Conductors and Choirs
Mohammed Basha, El Sakia String Orchestra, Conductor
USA
Pune Wastepicker Choir, Choir
Jorge Cornejo and Pudaheal Youth Orchestra, Conductor
Marlon Daniel and Ensemble du Monde, Conductor
India
Chile
USA
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COMPOSERS
STUDENTS
Jaloul Ayed
Tunisia
Ilyes Blagui
Tunisia
Matthew Cameron
Kechia Chen
Hwaen Chuqi
USA
Taiwan
Peru/USA
Christina Courtin
USA
Reena Esmail
USA
Simon Fink
USA
Ryan Francis
Tunisia
Michael Harrison
USA
Phillipe Manoury
France
Sergei Bontas Perez
Chile
Huang Roe
China
Ming-Hsiu Yen
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Teaching residences at:
Afghanistan National Institute of Music: 2010-2012
Atlas Music Academy: 2007-2014
Myanmar Music Festival: 2014
Private studio: 1998-2012
Afghanistan
Tunisia
Myanmar
New York
Egypt/USA
Souhayl Guesmi
Anya Yermakova
Taught approximately 200 students worldwide in one-on-one lessons, including festivals and master classes. The majority were
taught in person, some via Skype.
USA
Taiwan
MENTEES
Continuous mentorship relationships
Chloe deSouza
Elham Fanoos
Souhayl Guesmi
Amani Jebali
Nidhal Jebali
Kevin Yang
Senda Zayati
via Institutions
The Juilliard School Mentorship Program
New England Conservatory Mentorship Program
India
Afghanistan
Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia
Myanmar
Tunisia
USA
USA
SPONSORS
PARTNERS
Companies
Partners of the 88 Concert Tour, Taiwan 88, and Myanmar Music
Acradyan Technology
Taiwan
Festival have served as beneficiaries to charity concerts, as
Alliance International Law Offices
Taiwan
logistical partners, and as strategic allies.
Cyberlink
Taiwan
Banmu Development
Taiwan
Action et Developpment Solidaire Tunisia
Sunfar Computer Co.
Taiwan
Al Fanar Egypt
Weisers Law Offices
Taiwan
Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) Afghanistan
Foundations
Atlas Association Tunisia
Autism NGO Tunisia
Avari Pakistan
Getac Foundation
Taiwan
Banmu Taiwan
Landseed Foundation
Taiwan
Chiayi education department Taiwan
Myanmar Taiwan Golf Club
Myanmar
Chintan India
USA
Taiwan Democracy Foundation
Taiwan
Cultures in Harmony Xue Xue Institute
Taiwan
DAP/INACH World League for Freedom and Democracy
Taiwan
Dar Cherif Tunisia
Distinguished Citizens Society International Taiwan
El Jem Festival Tunisia
Eugene Oregon Symphony USA
Chile
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PARTNERS (cont.)
Eye Care Foundation of Thailand French Bureau in Taiwan Thailand
Taiwan/France
India
Furtados Sheraton Taiwan
China
Siyang Govt SMU Singapore
Gitameit Myanmar
Stree Mutki Segutna India
India
Sunfar Taiwan
Hasirudala Taiwan
Hsinchu Education Department Hungarian Consulate Jaloul Ayed Chile
Tunisia
Khayay School Myanmar
Kinmen Cultural Department Liberaire Avant Garde Bookstore Taiwan
China
Malaysia
Sutra Dance Theatre SWATCH India
Taidong Education Department Taiwan
TAITRA Taiwan
Temple Emmanual Therapeutic Farm USA
Tunisia
Mainstar Taiwan
Tunisian Community Center USA/Tunisia
Singapore
United Nations USA
MILK Myanmar
U.S. State Department
Pakistan
Pakistan
U.S. State Department
Afghanistan
Taiwan
U.S. State Department
Malaysia
Pacific Coast Events and Promotions Fiji
U.S. State Department
Myanmar
Pingdon Cultural Department Taiwan
U.S. State Department
Egypt
Myanmar Institute of Theology (MIT)
National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) New Art Piano Outreach of New York (PONY)
Sawty and Unesco 24
USA
Tunisia
U.S. State Department Tunisia
Yunlin Education Department Taiwan
ADVISORY BOARD
Gabo Arora, Humanitarian, Writer, United Nations
New York
Jaloul Ayed, Composer, former Finance Minister
Tunisia
Veronica Bulgari, Special Projects
Bulgari
Radhi Meddeb, Businessman
Tunisia
David Rosensweig, Independent
Lisa Wang, QS Investors
Washington D.C.
New York
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