Speaker(s): Dr. Ahmad Sarmast, Founder and Director, Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM)

The Conference will conclude with a luncheon featuring Resilient Sounds, a Houston Symphony project—in partnership with Rice University, University of Houston, and Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston—celebrating the determination and hope of Houston’s refugee communities. Former composer-in-residence Jimmy López Bellido will share his vision in founding this innovative new program and introduce a live performance of What It Takes to Thrive by Patrick W. Lenz, with words by Logan Butcher and narration and acting by Muhammad Yunus-Khaerisman, conducted by Gonzalo Farias, Assistant Conductor, Houston Symphony.

We’ll also hear from Dr. Ahmad Naser Sarmast, Founding Director of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), which fled Taliban-occupied Kabul for Lisbon, where the entire school community was not only granted asylum but also invited to resettle and rebuild.

No additional cost. The Closing Luncheon is included in your Conference registration!

The Closing Luncheon has been generously co-sponsored by Threshold Acoustics and YPTC (Your Part Time Controller).