Benefit Concert for the 2010 Cambodian Youth Arts Festival
Starring Diane Phelan and Marc de la Cruz

Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) and Partners will kick off the 2010 Cambodian Youth Arts Festival with a Benefit Concert at the CJCC on August 3 at 7:00 pm. The concert features two of the lead international stars of the popular Khmer Rock Opera, Where Elephants Weep, and will include songs from the opera and the popular Broadway musical, West Side Story.

Diane Phelan and Marc de la Cruz, both of whose performing credits include New York’s Broadway, are returning this year as volunteer artists at the Youth Arts Festival. They have assembled a song cycle for the benefit concert with selections from Him Sophy’s original score of Where Elephants Weep, a modern telling of the traditional tale of Tum Teav. Other songs have been selected from Leonard Bernstein’s popular score, West Side Story, also a modern telling of an ancient myth, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. The composer Him Sophy will conduct the traditional orchestra that played the original opera to accompany the two stars who will also be accompanied by acoustic piano.

The proceeds from this prestigious artistic event will go directly to support the Cambodian Youth Arts Festival. Join us August 3 starting at 6:15 pm with a cocktail reception followed by the concert at 7:00 pm.

Tickets are $10* and will bo on sale soon at:
The CLA Office: #128G9 Sothearos Blvd. Sangkat Tonle Bassac, Khan Chamkamorn
Java Café & Gallery: 56 Sihanouk Blvd. Phnom Penh, Cambodia 023 987 420, 012 833 512
Tickets will be on-sale at CJCC box office after 6:00 pm the night of the Concert.
*50% discount for artist and students

Seating is limited

Location: Cambodia-Japan Cooperation Center
Time: 03 August · 18:30 – 20:30

Southeast Asia Globe magazine looks at eco-friendly path:

Phnom Penh’s residents may not know it yet, but Cambodia’s capital is geared towards cyclists.

Phnom Penh is one of those cities that people either love or hate. I, for one, love it – but there are things about it that get to me. The availability and variety of food, the relaxed feel to the people, the character of the architecture and a charm that is hard to put a finger on are all things that endear this city to me. The over-abundance of girlie bars, noise pollution, traffic and the lack of good public open spaces are things that at times tip my feelings in the other direction.
One thing I love is that I can get on a bicycle, and after 15 minutes of pedaling, be out of the city.

To celebrate and contribute to the restoration of the majestic city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Leonard Cohen will perform at the Olympic Stadium on November 27, 2010. To aid victims of Cambodia’s recent tragic past, proceeds from this concert will benefit the Cambodian Red Cross and Cambodian persons with a disability. Tickets available online on July 15, 2010.

Leonard Cohen’s November 27th concert will be held under the patronage of His Excellency Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia and Lok Chumtuev Bun Rany Hun Sen, President of the Cambodian Red Cross. The performance is produced by The Mekong Sessions in conjunction with Robert Kory Management and AEG Live and is exclusive to the South-East Asian region.

Cohen’s legendary artistry and his performance, referred to by many as a “spiritual experience,” at the architecturally significant Stadium in one of the world’s most intriguing and reemerging cities is intended to be more than just a unique evening of music. As an ordained Buddhist monk, Cohen is known for his affinity for the culture and his commitments to assist those who have suffered from conflict.

“Leonard is deeply honored by this invitation, and we hope that in our small way, we can both assist in cultural restoration and personal healing,” said Robert Kory, Manager to Leonard Cohen. “The world is aware that Phnom Penh, once a cultural Mecca, and its people, suffered a brutal genocide thirty five years ago which ended lives and altered that magnificent city. We are hopeful that the concert may become a first step in celebration of the city’s rebirth as a vibrant cultural centre and serve to aid those who have suffered.”

“This is a landmark event for AEG Live as well as a significant international milestone where Phnom Penh announces its objective to become a premiere performance destination,” said Rob Hallett, President, AEG Live.

Chris Minko, Founder of the Mekong Sessions Concert Series stated, “We wish to convey our gratitude to Mr. Cohen for this epic event that demonstrates that Cambodia has emerged from tragic civil conflict and its tradition of cultural excellence is reborn.”

Phnom Penh’s Olympic Stadium is a rare example of the work of famous Khmer architect Vann Molyvan, whose designs are the current subject of international interest. His distinctive designs combine High Modernism with elements of classical Khmer design and are a reminder of the days of Phnom Penh’s former cultural stature.

ABOUT LEONARD COHEN: Leonard Cohen is a master songwriter, musician and poet whose stunning body of original work has touched the lives of millions with a career spanning five decades. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame (2006) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2008) for outstanding work. Cohen’s world tour, which inaugurated in May 2008, is still playing to sold-out crowds.

MEDIA CONTACT:
For Leonard Cohen:
Sunshine, Sachs & Associates
Ken Sunshine / Tiffany Shipp
212-691-2800 / shipp@sunshinesachs.com
For AEG Live:
Rob Hallett: rob@aeglive.co.uk
For Mekong Sessions Concerts Series:
Christopher Minko
cminko@themekongsessions.com
www.themekongsessions.com
855-(0)12-932642

The Cambodian Youth Arts Festival (CYAF) is a festival bringing together master artists, students, and visiting artists from allied arts organizations across Cambodia and around the world in order to generate arts renewal through the sharing and learning of a variety of traditional and contemporary art forms.

Even more, it is the keystone of a movement to revitalize Cambodia through the arts.

A rehearsing performance art held in National Museum in Phnom Penh in early April this year

The festival is also a way to encourage and honor Cambodian artists by recognizing their accomplishments and building hopes for the future.

CYAF increases awareness about arts revival in Cambodia among educators, students, artists and observers from around the world by providing opportunities for all participating groups to demonstrate the mastery of their art by leading workshops and demonstrations and participating in public performances.

Starting this year in 2010, Cambodian Living Arts is working with 20 other international and local organizations to mount the first festival in Cambodia’s capital.

Every year the scale of the CYAF has increased. In 2004, we started with 150 participants and by 2007 there were 350 participants. This year we plan to have 500 participants attending the CYAF from August 1 – 6, 2010 in Phnom Penh.

CYAF was initiated in 2004 by Cambodian Living Arts as the “Mohaosrop Silapak Khmer Amatak” in Khmer or the “Cambodian Living Arts Festival” in English. At the time, the participants were only the master artists, teachers and students of Cambodian Living Arts along with a troupe from the Department of Culture and Fine Arts of Siem Reap province. CYAF was celebrated two times in Siem Reap at the campus of Wat Rajabo, in 2004 and 2005. Later on in 2006 and 2007, it was held in Battambang at the campus of Phare Ponleu Selpaak where the festival included four other Cambodian organizations, Epic Arts, Phare Ponleu Selpak, Tiny Toones, and the Friends Economic Development Association (FEDA).

As American Starbucks hasn’t yet arrived in Cambodia, Australian-owned Gloria Jean’s Coffees established late last year its first cafe in Boeung Keng Kang I district, one of Phnom Penh’s peaceful areas.

The international coffee and coffeehouse chain with stores in over 30 countries is

…dedicated to providing a comfortable atmosphere for our Gloria Jean’s family. Whether it’s your morning coffee, after-work pick-me-up, or meeting friends in the evening we want you to come in, relax in our comfy chairs, and enjoy every sip of your Gloria Jean’s coffee!

Strikingly, on its internet site, you can get all the latest news about the cafe through both Twitter and Facebook Page.

Dengue Fever lead singer Chhom Nimol: behind the scene

On stage: Dengue Fever lead singer Chhom Nimol

www.tuolsleng.com is a website dedicated solely to Phnom Penh’s genocide museum. It contains photographs of people who were tortured and killed under the Khmer Rouge regime. According to the site, there are 114 photographs from the Pol Pot’s secret prison, also known as Security Prison “S-21″.

When the Vietnamese Army invaded in 1979 the S-21 prison staff fled, leaving thousands of written and photographic records. Altogether more than 6,000 photographs were left; the majority, however, have been lost or destroyed.

Currently the Tuol Sleng Museum of Genocide, which is located within the former prison grounds, has the original negatives and a catalog of all 6,000 remaining negatives. Cornell University also has one of the catalogs, and the DCCam Project has also incorporated scanned versions of the images into their database, as well as Yale University.

In 1997 an American photographer/researcher identified and located the prison photographer, Nhem Ein, who had been living in a Khmer Rouge stronghold since 1979. Since meeting Nhem Ein, many other former prison staff have been identified and interviewed, adding to our knowledge of this piece of awful history.

Until recently, the museum becomes a major tourism site for those who visit the capital city.

Phnom Penh’s new skyline

Stay Another Cambodia’s third edition booklet was released at Cambodiana Hotel today after its success in the previous years. The 75-page-publication, which aims to promote Cambodia’s tourism, is a cooperation work between Ministry of Tourism, Economic Today Magazine (ETM), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (German Technical Cooperation) or GTZ.

The booklet’s cover photo, a young Khmer woman in Koh Dach (an island 15km north of Phnom Penh), was taken by travel photographer Nathan Horton.

In its welcome message, Minister of Tourism’s Dr. Thong Khon encourage travelers and visitors to:

• Dine at local restaurants hiring and training disadvantaged youth;
• Visit shops participating in fair trade and employing disabled artisans;
• Observe and/or participate in various cultural activities on offer;
• Be adventurous and visit a new ecotourism project; and/or
• Volunteer your time or donate money to NGOs doing valuable work for the people of Cambodia.

Travel report:
According to an official report on the ministry’s Internet site, the average length of stay for visitors in Cambodia is 6.65 days. In 2008, there were 2,125,465 tourists from across the continents arrived Cambodia.

The booklet, with comprehensive information of its initiative’s partners that play vital roles to support the community culture and environment, hopes to convince travelers to extend their trip in the Kingdom of Wonder, and go beyond Siem Reap’s Angkor Wat.

At the time of writing this blog-post, Stay Another Cambodia‘s web site is still under construction.

Large Boeung Kak Lake in Phnom Penh is being filled as part city development: Cambodia

Also related:
The Battle for Boeung Kak Lake by Far Eastern Economic Review’s Ron Gluckman