Dear Arts Lovers,
Friendship transcends borders.
In 2016 during a staff talent show at Keystone Academy in Beijing, I met Bolsyn Urmuzov. I was singing “Habanera” from Carmen, and Bolsyn was playing the Kobyz in his traditional Kazakh costume. We were both new hires. It was Bolsyn’s first time experiencing a loud opera singer up close and my first time hearing the Kobyz – and meeting someone from Kazakhstan! Working together over the years, we would learn more about each other’s cultures and art forms. Bolsyn is a design teacher and now the head of visual arts at Keystone. While my opportunities took me to Germany in 2019, our connection endured.
Recently, my grade 7 students were exploring instruments and ensembles across cultures. As part of a research project, one group selected Kazakhstan as their topic. Their presentation was wonderful and was well received by the whole class, who decided to perform a piece from Kazakhstan together. I needed a friend and an expert to help this along!
In October, I brought Bolsyn in virtually. Arriving via Teams, he was well prepared in his costume, ready with a presentation, his Kobyz, and some accessible songs for us to learn. He engaged my class in Germany of twenty 7th graders from ten countries who loved connecting with him through music. And he will be back to ensure they are performance-ready.
When I reflect on this year, I am celebrating the connections that bring us together, and how, at the center of every celebration, you find the arts. Through the arts, we find the connections between people, family, friends, food, and festivities.
Close (and open) your 2024 by making time to reconnect with those who have shaped your life for the better.
Christine Matovich
Founder, CommonTime
CommonTime had a strong start to 2024 with the launch of The Art of Arts Entrepreneurship online seminar, a joint venture with the Fortune Institute of International Business. This seminar was designed to give artists the entrepreneurial skills, business acumen, and marketing strategies essential to a career in the arts. Students left this seminar with the skills to pitch their work to potential clients and investors, as well as a certificate that attests to 40 hours of instruction time in the learning, design and development of an art business plan. The Art of Arts Entrepreneurship is planned to return in early 2025. Stay tuned for more information!
In July, CommonTime had the honor of facilitating a cultural exchange event for 145 students from Hong Kong and Germany. The highlight of this 3-day event was a joint concert at Beethoven-Saal Liederhalle in Stuttgart. Over the course of just 12 hours, the students from TWGHs Li Ka Shing College and the Albert Einstein Gymnasium met each other for the first time, rehearsed together, participated in masterclasses with professional musicians from the Orchester der Kulturen, and then put on the most magical performance for over 600 attendees! Read the full story on the CommonTime blog.
CommonTime is now officially registered in Germany, opening the door to even more new opportunities across the EU. Exchange events are another way for us to fulfill CommonTime’s mission of supporting access to the arts and arts education for all. By connecting artists, educators, and arts-lovers across cultures, borders, and languages, we can pave the way to a kinder, more united world.
With two home-run cultural exchange events under CommonTime’s belt, we eagerly look forward to 2025! Are you interested in having a cultural exchange event for your school? Reach out to us at info@commontime.online!
The Art of Giving is back for the season of giving! Millions of schools around the world have little to no access to the arts - your donation changes that. Here’s how you can give back:
- When you book a lesson with a participating CommonTime artist, they will donate a lesson of equal or lesser value to the Global Schools Forum or the Voices of Children Charitable Foundation.
- Donate CommonTime credits! When you donate through the Art of Giving page, every dollar you give is a dollar that GSF and/or VOC can spend on virtual arts lessons with CommonTime artists. (1 CommonTime credit = 1 USD)
