The Center for World Music is a nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is to foster intercultural awareness and understanding through in-depth encounters with the world’s performing arts traditions. In support of this goal, we sponsor educational programs for people of all ages, live and online performances, and a wide range of community partnerships and activities.
Our Vision: Our vision is a world that celebrates cross-cultural understanding, respect, communication, and healing through the performing arts traditions of cultures East and West.
What We Do: Our programs in San Diego and beyond serve as a model for promoting intercultural communication, awareness, and understanding.
- Through World Music in the Schools, we engage students in music and dance from around the world.
- We sponsor concerts and performing arts festivals in San Diego and other major cities in the United States and abroad. These concerts present highly respected musicians that excite and inspire audiences, opening new cultural vistas. The Center also organizes tours of major artists and groups to cities across the United States.
- We present workshops of music and dance traditions from around the world: India, Indonesia, Mexico, Africa, Spain, and more. We are especially proud of our long-standing Odissi Dance School in North County, San Diego.
- To help support traditional performing artists, we connect musicians with performance opportunities. If you are interested in a world music performance at your venue or event, please contact us.
Our Supporters: The Center for World Music receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, County of San Diego, City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation, Gould Family Foundation, Las Patronas, Arts Education Resource Organization, and The Mockingbird Foundation. Recent Center projects have also been supported by the Jason Mraz Foundation, Macy’s GIVES, Peacemakers Fund through the San Diego Foundation, San Diego County Office of Education, California County Superintendents Arts Initiative, Daphne Seybolt Culpeper Memorial Foundation, Alliance for California Traditional Arts, Asian Cultural Council, San Diego County Employees’ Charitable Organization, PARSA Community Foundation, The Parker Foundation, Union Bank, Weingart Foundation, and Rising Arts Leaders.
