Stichting Mizik Vivan

the poorest nation in the western hemisphere has a rich musical life and harbours a treasure trove of classical music under threat of being lost forever. ever since the independence won with the shedding of blood in 1804, haiti has been rich in culture of classical caribbean music. an amalgam of courtly french music, african culture and caribbean influences. in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries many haitian composers would do their studies in the west, return to the home country and help develop a musical culture and language of their own. in 2006 i was involved in creating the first haitian opera in the vernacular language, the creole. the pleasure was mine to complete and conduct this opera, in close cooperation with composer ipharès blan and librettist rassoul labuchin. during the haiti tour which brought the opera 'maryaj lenglensou' (the blood marriage) to the attention of tens of thousands of people, i came to know the haitian people's yearning for art and culture as well as