About Sangeet Millennium
Sangeet (literally, sang – together; geet—song) is the Sanskrit word meaning “the performing arts,” inclusive of music (instrumental, vocal, percussion), dance, theater, and everything connected to these. Since the mid-20th century, sangeet has been used more commonly to mean music (all of the above included); however, the old meaning has not entirely fallen into disuse. We choose to maintain the original meaning.
Sangeet Millennium’s vision is to create and inhabit spaces where the performing and visual/media arts, knowledge, and human rights weave together as narrative threads of the same story, inspiring aesthetic delight, compassion, understanding, and, ultimately, positive change.
In this context, founder and director Amie Maciszewski’s mission for Sangeet Millennium consists of the following goals, causes, and activities:
1. using the music and culture of the Indian subcontinent as a foundation on which to lead community members in the joyful exploration of the rich diversity of music and dance in the world. The objective here is to raise people’s awareness and, ultimately, respect for different types of this ultimate human expression.
2. providing opportunities for individuals of diverse backgrounds, generations, and abilities to participate in these art forms in collaborative performances, workshops, and festivals. This includes professional performing artists (both local and guest), students, and arts lovers.
3. carrying out the role of cultural mediator between music makers and other performing artists of diverse communities, academia, and the public sector.
Sangeet Millennium grew out of the Society for India Music, a non-profit organization founded in Albuquerque in 1990 and relocated to Austin in 1993. In 1999, Amie renamed the organization Sangeet, and in 2003, Sangeet Millennium. Amie and Sangeet Millennium’s programs and projects have been supported locally since 2000 by the City of Austin Cultural Contracts since, sponsored under the non-profit umbrella of One World since 2004. At a regional level, Amie and Sangeet Millennium is a member of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) Touring Roster and the Mid-America Arts Alliance. The mission of Sangeet Millennium includes a strong educational component, through workshops offered by some of the distinguished visiting artists, as well as Amie’s ongoing classes, presentations of sitar and Hindustani vocal music, and community education and outreach events.
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