Paquito D’Rivera

As an artist, educator and humanitarian, Paquito D’Rivera defies categorization. The winner of nine GRAMMY Awards, he is celebrated for his artistry in Latin Jazz, his achievements as a classical composer and performer, and his dedication as a teacher of young musicians across many cultures. Born in Havana, Cuba, he performed at age 10 with the National Theater Orchestra, studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music and, at 17, became a featured soloist with the Cuban National Symphony. He was a founding member and co-director of the innovative musical ensemble Irakere. With its explosive mixture of jazz, rock, classical and traditional Cuban music never before heard, Irakere toured extensively throughout America and Europe, winning a GRAMMY and several nominations.

His numerous recordings include more than 30 solo albums. In 1988, he was a founding member of the United Nations Orchestra, a 15-piece ensemble organized by Dizzy Gillespie to showcase the fusion of Latin and Caribbean influences with jazz. A GRAMMY was awarded the United Nations Orchestra in 1991, the same year D’Rivera received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Carnegie Hall for his contributions to Latin music.

While Paquito D’Rivera’s discography reflects a dedication and enthusiasm for Jazz, Bebop and Latin music, his contributions to classical music are impressive as well. They include solo performances with the London Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, and the National Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his extraordinary performing career as an instrumentalist, Mr. D’Rivera has rapidly gained a reputation as an accomplished composer. Recent recognition of his compositional skills came with the award of a 2007 John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship in Music Composition.

His numerous other honors include two Doctorates Honoris Causa in Music (from the Berklee College of Music in Boston and the University of Pennsylvania), and the Jazz Journalists Association’s Clarinetist of the Year Award in both 2004 and 2006. In 2008, Mr. D’Rivera received the International Association for Jazz Education President’s Award and the Frankfurter Musikpreis, the Medal of Honor from the National Arts Club in 2009. In 2010, he was named a Nelson A. Rockefeller Honoree and given the African-American Classical Music Award from Spelman College.

Nile Rodgers

The career of Nile Rodgers is one of the most enduring and prolific in popular music. Nile’s signature is scrawled across an amazing array of music – from Madonna to Diana Ross, from David Bowie to Eric Clapton – and his exceptional work as a humanitarian equals his amazing artistic achievements.

At the age of 19, Nile not only worked for Sesame Street, but was performing nightly as part of the house band for the world renowned Apollo Theatre in Harlem, playing with luminaries such as Aretha Franklin, Parliament Funkadelic, Ben E. King, and The Cadillacs.

Nile and his late musical partner Bernard Edwards introduced the world to CHIC in 1977 with a series of hits including “Le Freak”, which is still Warner Brothers’ biggest selling single of all time. The two went on to produce and compose the album “We Are Family” for Sister Sledge and “Diana” for Diana Ross. This was followed by a string of hits with collaborations with David Bowie (Let’s Dance), Madonna (Like a Virgin), Duran Duran (The Reflex), Mick Jagger (She’s the Boss), Eric Clapton and INXS’, among many others.

The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), of which Nile has served as both Governor and Trustee, has given him both its Lifetime Achievement Award, and the New York Chapter’s Heroes Award, the highest honor bestowed, honoring individuals whose creative talents and accomplishments cross all musical boundaries. Nile started the “We Are Family Project: A Celebration of Our Common Humanity”, after the events of September 11th to promote tolerance and multicultural education and to support victims of intolerance, and has since extended its program with several high profile projects. He has been at the helm making music that has shaped three decades and is considered one of the most influential music producers in the history of popular music. He continues to exert his influence today.

Peter Yarrow

Musician, songwriter and humanitarian, Peter Yarrow is an American icon who found fame with the 1960s folk music trio Peter, Paul and Mary and has since appeared as a performer on 61 albums. Yarrow co-wrote (with Leonard Lipton) one of the group’s most famous songs, “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” as well as “Day is Done”, “Light One Candle” and “The Great Mandala.” As their fame grew, Peter, Paul and Mary mixed music with political and social activism. In the 1960′s, the trio marched with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma, Alabama, and Washington DC. The three also participated in countless demonstrations against the war in Vietnam. They sang at the 1969 March on Washington, which Mr. Yarrow helped to organize.

Yarrow was instrumental in founding the New Folks Concert series at both the Newport Folk Festival and the Kerrville Folk Festival. He co-wrote “Torn Between Two Lovers,”  a number one hit for Mary McGregor. He also produced three CBS TV specials based on “Puff, the Magic Dragon”, which earned an Emmy nomination for him.

In an effort to combat school violence, Yarrow started Operation Respect in 2000, which brings a curriculum of tolerance and respect for each other’s differences to children in schools and camps. On behalf of Operation Respect, Yarrow has appeared, pro bono, in areas as diverse as Hong Kong, Vietnam, Bermuda, Croatia, South Africa, Egypt, Argentina and Canada. In all, the program has been presented to many educational leaders and more than 10 million children. In some form, the project has reached nearly 1/3 of all

elementary and middle schools in America; at least 20,000 schools, in all. In 2003, a Congressional resolution recognized Yarrow’s achievements and those of Operation Respect. The Congressional Caucus gave him a standing ovation.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation

The mission of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is to improve the quality of people’s lives through grants supporting the performing arts, environmental conservation, medical research and the prevention of child abuse, and through preservation of the cultural and environmental legacy of Doris Duke’s properties.

Established in 1996, the foundation supports four national grantmaking programs. The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation’s activities are guided by the will of Doris Duke, who endowed the foundation with financial assets that totaled approximately $1.6 billion as of December 31, 2010. As of December 31,2010, the foundation has awarded grants totaling approximately $996 million. Recipients of cultural grants have included Jazz at Lincoln Center, Chamber Music America, New England Foundation for the Arts, and the Future of Music Coalition.

National Music Council

Through the cooperative work of its member organizations, the National Music Council promotes and supports music and music education as an integral part of the curricula in the schools of our nation, and in the lives of its citizens. The Council provides for the exchange of information and coordination of efforts among its member organizations and speaks with one voice for the music community whenever an authoritative expression of opinion is desirable. The Council presents the American Eagle Awards each year to individuals and institutions that have made significant contribution to American music and music education. Chartered in Congress in 1956, the NMC is the official U.S. representative to the International Music Council.