Entrants's Name: Sharon Van Duizend

Country: United States

Field: Access to Learning/Education

Innovation - idea: Mosaic Harmony is an interfaith, inter-racial community choir. Drawing on the rich heritage of African-American spiritual music, we strive to demonstrate unity in the midst of diversity and change the world one song at at time.

Innovation - why it is pioneering: We bring together disparate elements of our sociaty which would often not be interacting with one another, both within the choir and in our wide diversity of audiences. We represent teen, senior, black, white, gay, straight, and 17 faith traditions. Our vision is to inspire others on a local, national and global level - to birth other such choirs, expressing community service through song.

Strategy - how it achieves impact: We rehearse and perform two to three times a month, affirming ways in which we can be there for ourselves and for others. We aspire to celebrate "Mosaic" and Harmony" with fun, purpose, and intentional unity, encouraging our audiences to carry this with them into their lives and to dissememate it to to others. Whether we sing at the Kennedy Center's 30th birthday or at a center for disturbed youth; fundraise for home repairs in the Lakota Nation or an inner- city fitness program for seniors; commemorate a slave memorial at George Washington's estate or 700 family members of organ donors; carry our message of unity through diversity overseas at the onset of the Iraqi war or raise $6000 for Habitat through return hosting and a joint concert with our new Slovenian choir friends, we are constantly humbled by the places where this music and this poignant message wish to travel.

Strategy - growth plans: Now 70 to 90+ singers strong, we continually offer unconditional membership to all who wish to participate in this endeavor. We also have a bare-bones format for beginning a "Mosaic Harmony" in your community. It asks people to invite groups together to sing who would not ordinarily be in the same social setting. It takes people through the steps which have shaped and strengthened us, sharing some things to look for as you expand your own music community and become of service to others, thereby helping to dissolve those arbitrary thoughts which keep us all separate. Each new group will put its own stamp on such an effort and give its own unique spiritual flavor to their concerts. We would also seek to have the financial means to travel to other areas to both inspire and give workshops through our music and words.

Impact to date: We are in our 13th season and have been steadily moving towards our current strong identity as a changemaker. We received the 1997 Fairfax County Human Rights Award, were part of President Clinton's Initiative on Race as a model program, and received two WAMMY nominations in 2003 and 2004 from the Washington Area Music Association. We have also released two CD's, "Make Us One" and "You Oughta Been There". We have taken our message to 94 million people through a Voice Of America Interview, sung at the Pentagon with several concerts having been taped for overseas bases, were featured in the international Good News Agency ( a far- reaching global internet publication), performed for Conferences on Race Emnity and for the Interfaith Conference of Washington which brings together nine major world religions. We are now poised to find some specific means of encouraging others to also begin this beautiful journey. We feel that Ashoka is such a vehicle.

Future impact: We can never truly know the impact of each concert on the individual. We have however, received powerful feedback in the context of singing for homeless women or mentally ill adults in terms of this music's positive effects. Our CD was used in a weekend program to bring Christians, Jews, and Muslims together in Israel. There are countless stories. We had a visioning session with the entire choir recently where five out of six break-out groups separately envisioned many global "Mosaic Harmonies" within a 10-year period, whose mission continues to plant seeds of support for one another no matter what the perceived differences of the larger whole may be. We are moving in that direction now by our strong shared understanding that this music can help to take us all to that place. We firmly believe that these new groups will indeed be born.

Sustainability - resource base: We are a volunteer community choir, with a volunteer board who ask a modest membership fee. We receive payment for most concerts, but also perform for love offerings or for free, depending on the set of circumstances. We would like to be able to do more free concerts in support of even more community programming. We sell our CD's at concerts, and seek sponsorship from the community at our bi-annual fundraising concerts designed to offset our operating expenses, including payment for our two directors and three musicians. We partner with other culturally diverse choirs whenever possible (in fact are again home-hosting a second Slovenian choir in July 2006). Initially we received financial aid from two church communities, one of which still offers us a rehearsal space and other forms of support. We maintain a website for public access to our programs.

Major challenge for the field: 1. Initially getting differently-focused people together for an evening of song --to begin! 2. Finding strong members to embrace this unified vision. 3. Continually listening transparently to members for innovative ideas. 4. Being always vigilant for taking this vehicle of music into situations where mixed views can be transcended or new programs begun through singing for and with one another.

Contact Information:

Name: Sharon Van Duizend - Concert Coordinator
Country: United States
Email: van1000@juno.com
Tel: 703-536-3476
Website: http://www.mosaicharmony.com