Elgin Symphony Orchestra CEO Marc Thayer, in white shirt, teaches violin in Kurdistan, Iraq, on a recent trip with American Voices. Photo courtesy of Marc Thayer.
In Sunday’s (9/4) Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois), Rick West writes, “After watching and listening to the young violinist practice, Elgin Symphony Orchestra CEO Marc Thayer gave him some encouragement and a few suggestions before wishing him well until next week. And from the other side of the world, Nali, 11, thanked him and hung up the Zoom call from Kurdistan, Iraq. Thayer met Nali on a recent two-week trip to northern Iraq while teaching and sharing his love of classical and orchestral music. The trip was part of a visit by educators and musicians with the YES Academy, a program of the Association of American Voices. The academy focuses on fostering cross-cultural connections through music and the arts in more than 140 countries. It was launched in 2007 to inspire youth in parts of the world that lack opportunities for cultural exchange and dialogue with the United States. ‘We are connecting with people and collaborating and performing together and showing how much we have in common,’ Thayer said…. Thayer has made about 10 trips with the group to the Kurdistan region of Iraq since 2007.”
