Symphony of Courage

 Symphony of Courage is a 30-minute documentary film presented by the Friends of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM), a New York based charitable foundation that supports the mission of Afghanistan’s first co-ed music school, to transform lives through music, train future music educators, revive and preserve Afghan music, and lead cultural diplomacy between Afghanistan and the international community.

      Lesley Rosenthal, President of Friends of ANIM, co-led the successful effort to airlift the entire school from extremist threat after the Taliban took over Afghanistan in August 2021.

       This 3-part hybrid program will begin with a Screening of Symphony of Courage, which illustrates the plight of women and girls in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan and that theocracy's ban against all non-religious music. The screening will be followed by a Continuing Legal Education program providing 1 hour of NYS CLE Credit in Diversity, Inclusion and Elimination of Bias

      The CLE Program consists of speaker presentations and panel discussion relating to the documentary about ANIM, bias against women and worse treatment of them by sovereign states, recent research into the mental and physical health benefits of music and music therapy, and NYSBA's support of American Bar Association efforts to expand the United Nations' definition of Crimes Against Humanity to include Gender Apartheid in addition to Racial Apartheid.

Speakers

Gonzalo Zeballos, Chair, NYSBA International Law section

Barry Skidelsky, Former Chair, NYSBA Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law section, Chair Elect, NYSBA Sections Caucus

Lesley Rosenthal, President, Friends of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, Chief Operating Officer & Corporate Secretary, The Juilliard School

Concetta Tomaino

Steve Richman

Jane Bellow Burke

Susan L. Harper