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On October 22, 2015, the Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History, American University, hosted Russian jazz legend Igor Butman at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington DC. The event, meant to represent the unifying qualities of cultural cooperation, was a special night complete with complimentary dinner, drinks, and dessert.
Susan Carmel Lehrman, Founder and Advisory Committee Chair, reflected on the significance Butman’s musical gift holds: “I am honored to host such a great musician and cultural diplomat at tonight’s Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History’s special event. Maestro Butman's commitment to making the world, particularly the world of US-Russia relations, a more joyous place through music is a wonderful example for our students to emulate.”
Students hailing from numerous local universities were in attendance, eager to enjoy the once in a lifetime spectacle that awaited them. I suspect little was known by most of the attendees regarding the main performer of the night, however, by the end of the evening, everyone knew who Igor Butman was.
Dr. Anton Fedyashin, Director, added: “Igor Butman's contributions to jazz diplomacy between Russia and the US are unparalleled. It is therefore appropriate that the Carmel Institute celebrated an important milestone with his concert tonight. As of tonight, over 15,000 students and guests have attended our events over the past four years, which demonstrates that the positive message guiding our commitment to US-Russian cultural enrichment produces real results.”
In an incredible display of passion and performance Butman and his orchestra elevated the energy of the event through his music. Playing for almost an hour, the audience applauded regularly as the power of music permeated through each individual.
After receiving a standing ovation, it was clear; Butman had united a room of strangers through artistic expression. The feeling was absolutely marvelous and left me in awe, I caught up with Butman to ask him a few questions about the unifying power of jazz and his passion behind the music.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What does it mean to you to connect U.S. & Russian culture through Jazz music?
It makes me feel good, what is great about Jazz is there is so much freedom in what is a very organized style of music; it’s an organized freedom. Jazz is young and is still growing, allowing for each nation to contribute to it. The origins of the Jazz are very relatable to people of all countries; it’s like a combined music of all of the nations that is continually being added to.
Where does your inspiration for your performing energy come from?
The best musicians in Jazz no matter where they are from display so much joy and energy when they are performing. Watching them perform made me think, “I want to be like that, I want to make people happy because that makes me happy.”
Cross-culturally what does Jazz mean to you?
Growing up in the Soviet Union there was not much freedom of expression, while on the other hand in America there were beautiful movies and great music so I fell in love with that part of the United States. Since I was a kid music was always my dream, my father and grandfather were both musicians, I wanted to play music for the rest of the world. When Russia changed I went back and experienced how much everyone enjoyed music, after that experience I decided to bring what I had learned from the U.S. to Russia for people to enjoy. I encouraged a lot of musicians to go to the United States to study, learn, play, and not forget where they came from but to bring what they learned back to where they are from.
Lehrmen could not have agreed more: “It is increasingly important that we continue to celebrate the many cultural and historical connections between the United States and Russia, and to work together toward a shared goal of overcoming persistent cold-war stereotypes, which can negatively influence us and create an environment that is counter-productive to mutual respect and co-operation.”
Igor Butman is clearly no stranger to adversity and it is evident that music has inspired him to overcome adversity. Butman wants to motivate and inspire others to find common ground through artistic expression and his performances demonstrate the unifying power of jazz.
What does it mean to you to connect U.S. & Russian culture through Jazz music?
It makes me feel good, what is great about Jazz is there is so much freedom in what is a very organized style of music; it’s an organized freedom. Jazz is young and is still growing, allowing for each nation to contribute to it. The origins of the Jazz are very relatable to people of all countries; it’s like a combined music of all of the nations that is continually being added to.
Where does your inspiration for your performing energy come from?
The best musicians in Jazz no matter where they are from display so much joy and energy when they are performing. Watching them perform made me think, “I want to be like that, I want to make people happy because that makes me happy.”
Cross-culturally what does Jazz mean to you?
Growing up in the Soviet Union there was not much freedom of expression, while on the other hand in America there were beautiful movies and great music so I fell in love with that part of the United States. Since I was a kid music was always my dream, my father and grandfather were both musicians, I wanted to play music for the rest of the world. When Russia changed I went back and experienced how much everyone enjoyed music, after that experience I decided to bring what I had learned from the U.S. to Russia for people to enjoy. I encouraged a lot of musicians to go to the United States to study, learn, play, and not forget where they came from but to bring what they learned back to where they are from.
Lehrmen could not have agreed more: “It is increasingly important that we continue to celebrate the many cultural and historical connections between the United States and Russia, and to work together toward a shared goal of overcoming persistent cold-war stereotypes, which can negatively influence us and create an environment that is counter-productive to mutual respect and co-operation.”
Igor Butman is clearly no stranger to adversity and it is evident that music has inspired him to overcome adversity. Butman wants to motivate and inspire others to find common ground through artistic expression and his performances demonstrate the unifying power of jazz.The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
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Jazz Diplomacy: The Unifying Power of Jazz
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November 17, 2015
On October 22, 2015, the Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History, American University, hosted Russian jazz legend Igor Butman at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Washington DC. The event, meant to represent the unifying qualities of cultural cooperation, was a special night complete with complimentary dinner, drinks, and dessert.
Susan Carmel Lehrman, Founder and Advisory Committee Chair, reflected on the significance Butman’s musical gift holds: “I am honored to host such a great musician and cultural diplomat at tonight’s Carmel Institute of Russian Culture and History’s special event. Maestro Butman's commitment to making the world, particularly the world of US-Russia relations, a more joyous place through music is a wonderful example for our students to emulate.”
Students hailing from numerous local universities were in attendance, eager to enjoy the once in a lifetime spectacle that awaited them. I suspect little was known by most of the attendees regarding the main performer of the night, however, by the end of the evening, everyone knew who Igor Butman was.
Dr. Anton Fedyashin, Director, added: “Igor Butman's contributions to jazz diplomacy between Russia and the US are unparalleled. It is therefore appropriate that the Carmel Institute celebrated an important milestone with his concert tonight. As of tonight, over 15,000 students and guests have attended our events over the past four years, which demonstrates that the positive message guiding our commitment to US-Russian cultural enrichment produces real results.”
In an incredible display of passion and performance Butman and his orchestra elevated the energy of the event through his music. Playing for almost an hour, the audience applauded regularly as the power of music permeated through each individual.
After receiving a standing ovation, it was clear; Butman had united a room of strangers through artistic expression. The feeling was absolutely marvelous and left me in awe, I caught up with Butman to ask him a few questions about the unifying power of jazz and his passion behind the music.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What does it mean to you to connect U.S. & Russian culture through Jazz music?
It makes me feel good, what is great about Jazz is there is so much freedom in what is a very organized style of music; it’s an organized freedom. Jazz is young and is still growing, allowing for each nation to contribute to it. The origins of the Jazz are very relatable to people of all countries; it’s like a combined music of all of the nations that is continually being added to.
Where does your inspiration for your performing energy come from?
The best musicians in Jazz no matter where they are from display so much joy and energy when they are performing. Watching them perform made me think, “I want to be like that, I want to make people happy because that makes me happy.”
Cross-culturally what does Jazz mean to you?
Growing up in the Soviet Union there was not much freedom of expression, while on the other hand in America there were beautiful movies and great music so I fell in love with that part of the United States. Since I was a kid music was always my dream, my father and grandfather were both musicians, I wanted to play music for the rest of the world. When Russia changed I went back and experienced how much everyone enjoyed music, after that experience I decided to bring what I had learned from the U.S. to Russia for people to enjoy. I encouraged a lot of musicians to go to the United States to study, learn, play, and not forget where they came from but to bring what they learned back to where they are from.
Lehrmen could not have agreed more: “It is increasingly important that we continue to celebrate the many cultural and historical connections between the United States and Russia, and to work together toward a shared goal of overcoming persistent cold-war stereotypes, which can negatively influence us and create an environment that is counter-productive to mutual respect and co-operation.”
Igor Butman is clearly no stranger to adversity and it is evident that music has inspired him to overcome adversity. Butman wants to motivate and inspire others to find common ground through artistic expression and his performances demonstrate the unifying power of jazz.
What does it mean to you to connect U.S. & Russian culture through Jazz music?
It makes me feel good, what is great about Jazz is there is so much freedom in what is a very organized style of music; it’s an organized freedom. Jazz is young and is still growing, allowing for each nation to contribute to it. The origins of the Jazz are very relatable to people of all countries; it’s like a combined music of all of the nations that is continually being added to.
Where does your inspiration for your performing energy come from?
The best musicians in Jazz no matter where they are from display so much joy and energy when they are performing. Watching them perform made me think, “I want to be like that, I want to make people happy because that makes me happy.”
Cross-culturally what does Jazz mean to you?
Growing up in the Soviet Union there was not much freedom of expression, while on the other hand in America there were beautiful movies and great music so I fell in love with that part of the United States. Since I was a kid music was always my dream, my father and grandfather were both musicians, I wanted to play music for the rest of the world. When Russia changed I went back and experienced how much everyone enjoyed music, after that experience I decided to bring what I had learned from the U.S. to Russia for people to enjoy. I encouraged a lot of musicians to go to the United States to study, learn, play, and not forget where they came from but to bring what they learned back to where they are from.
Lehrmen could not have agreed more: “It is increasingly important that we continue to celebrate the many cultural and historical connections between the United States and Russia, and to work together toward a shared goal of overcoming persistent cold-war stereotypes, which can negatively influence us and create an environment that is counter-productive to mutual respect and co-operation.”
Igor Butman is clearly no stranger to adversity and it is evident that music has inspired him to overcome adversity. Butman wants to motivate and inspire others to find common ground through artistic expression and his performances demonstrate the unifying power of jazz.The views presented in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of any other organization.
