Annual Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture

The School of the Arts at Purchase College, SUNY, is pleased to announce that Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora, co-founders and co-executive directors of Sing For Hope, will be presenting this year’s Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture. The event is free, and will take place on Thursday, April 12 at 6:00 pm in the Humanities Theater.

Best known for the painted pianos it places across public spaces in New York City before donating them to public schools, Sing for Hope is now in its 10th year. The organization mobilizes volunteer artists to provide arts programming for underserved communities in New York. With a mission of “Art for All,” Yunus and Zamora have taken an innovative approach to arts outreach, by envisioning a world in which all individuals are not solely appreciators of art, but active participants in the artistic process. Their entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to social justice have fueled their mission to make art radically accessible at hospitals, schools, and elsewhere in the community.

The speakers will discuss how they built a thriving arts non-profit organization while simultaneously pursuing careers as opera singers. The wide ranging conversation will touch upon the challenges of funding, the importance of creating partnerships within the public and private sectors, launching innovative communications and marketing techniques, fostering audience engagement, and applying entrepreneurial approaches to achieving social justice goals.

Peggy De Cooke Ph.D., Acting Director, School of the Arts, said, “At Purchase College, we encourage our students to use their talents for the public good. As successful opera singers who have created their own arts organization, this year's annual Jandon Business of the Arts lecturers, Monica Yunus and Camille Zamora, perfectly embody that value. We look forward to hearing from Monica and Camille about their bold vision for arts outreach in New York.”

Established in 2012 through a generous gift from the Jandon Foundation to mark the occasion of Donald Cecil’s 85th birthday, the Jandon Business of the Arts Distinguished Lecture supports the Arts Management program at Purchase College. This endowed lecture reflects Don’s lifelong commitment to excellence in education, leadership in business, and passion for the arts. It is presented annually along with the Jandon Business of the Arts Student Achievement Award, which is given to a student in the Arts Management B.A. program.

About the Artists

Monica Yunus is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sing for Hope. She has performed with the world’s leading opera companies, including The Metropolitan Opera, Washington National Opera, The Zouk Festival, and in recitals in Spain, Guatemala, and her native Bangladesh. She has been named a 2016 Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum, honored with a 21st Century Leaders Award, as “New Yorker of the Week” by NY1, and named one of the “Top 50 Americans in Philanthropy” by Town & Country. A leading voice in the “artist as citizen” discussion, she has performed and spoken at the Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, Skoll World Forum, Aspen Ideas Festival, and the United Nations. Recently, she joined the faculty of Carnegie Mellon University School of Music teaching a class entitled, Artist as Entrepreneur. The daughter of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Muhammad Yunus, Monica Yunus is a graduate of The Juilliard School.

Camille Zamora is the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Sing for Hope. An internationally acclaimed soprano, she has appeared with collaborators ranging from Plácido Domingo to Sting, with ensembles including London Symphony and Glimmerglass Opera, and in live broadcasts on NPR, BBC Radio, Deutsche Radio, and Sirius. A graduate of The Juilliard School, she has been recognized by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and named one of CNN’s Most Intriguing People, NY1’s “New Yorker of the Week” and one of the “Top 50 Americans in Philanthropy” by Town & Country. A regular contributor to The Huffington Post and a leading voice in the “artist as citizen” discussion, Zamora has performed and spoken at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, Skoll World Forum, Aspen Ideas Festival, and the United Nations.

About Arts Management and Entrepreneurship at Purchase College

The arts management and entrepreneurship program at Purchase College offers a strategic mix of classroom-based and experiential learning opportunities to prepare thoughtful, innovative, and engaged professionals across the creative industries. Offering both undergraduate and graduate degrees, the programs are led by a faculty of educators and field practitioners. Emphasis is placed on critical inquiry along with developing the creative problem-solving and communication skills necessary to support arts enterprise in a constantly changing environment.

About the School of the Arts

The School of the Arts at Purchase College provides the highest level of education and professional training in both established and emerging fields in the arts. The School prepares students for careers by emphasizing technique, history, inquiry, and innovation: thereby engaging the next generation of cultural producers and managers with a dialogue about the future. Purchase alumni work to instill broad public value for the arts through the creation and investigation of culture in New York City and beyond: they can be found working in major and emerging organizations around the world.

About Purchase College–SUNY

Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspiration for Purchase was to create a dynamic campus that combined conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences, in order to inspire an appreciation for both intellectual and artistic talents in all students. Today, Purchase College–SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.