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Indigo Girls Set to Rock World Peace Conference in Santa
Fe
(Santa Fe, New Mexico)
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Known
worldwide for their folk-influenced rock music and
activism in human rights and the environment, the Indigo
Girls are booked to perform at the Santa Fe Opera May 17
in conjunction with the world peace conference in Santa
Fe.
The
conference, “Building a Culture of Peace,” will take
place May 16 and 17, 2007, at the Hilton Hotel in Santa
Fe, New Mexico.
The event
will feature keynote speakers Jody Williams and
Rigoberta Menchu, both Nobel Peace Prize Laureates; and
Arun Gandhi. His Holiness the Dalai Lama will appear by
video. |
Photo courtesy New Mexico
Tourism Department
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“We are
honored to announce the participation the Indigo Girls
in conjunction with the Peace Conference,” said Michael
Cerletti, Secretary of the New Mexico Tourism
Department. “Their music crosses all boundaries,
something we are confident this conference will do as
well.”
The Indigo
Girls, Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, have been producing
music together for 20 years, releasing their latest
album “Despite Our Differences” in September 2006.
Their Grammy award-winning lively folk-soul-and-rock
lyrics wrestle with issues ranging from the mistreatment
of indigenous cultures to environmental protection,
encouraging tolerance and understanding.
“It’s
flattering we were asked to do the concert,” Ray said.
“We’ve been activists focused on human rights and
nonviolence for a long time. We don’t always sing
specifically about those things, but about looking at
yourself and the world around you, and building
self-esteem while understanding others.”
The
Minneapolis-based non-profit group, Honor the Earth,
found the passion and backing they needed from Ray and
Saliers at an Earth Day Rally in 1992. HTE’s mission
for justice in the indigenous communities of the USA
parallels Menchu’s initiative in the indigenous
communities in Guatemala.
“A lot of
songs we write are just stories about life. When we do
talk about activism I usually try to look at both sides
of something and ponder it, then give people the tools
to think for themselves,” Ray said. “Sometimes they are
calls to action, but it depends on the song. We don’t
take one angle with every song; no issue is that black
and white. You learn with a wiser perspective that
talking about things in a black and white way is not
going move anyone, it will only divide people rather
than creating a dialogue.”
Ticket
sales begin Friday (March 16) at the Santa Fe Opera Box
Office. Premium tickets will include a VIP
meet-and-greet reception after the concert. For ticket
information call the Santa Fe Opera Box Office,
505-986-5900 or 1-800-280-4654.
The Hilton
Santa Fe has provided a special conference rate of $103
(plus tax) for rooms reserved by April 15, along with
the Sage Inn at $59 (plus tax) and Santa Fe Youth Hostel
(http://tinyurl.com/y7sa5y).
Visit
www.santafepeace.org to register.
For
more information about the World Peace Conference,
contact Producer Marjorie Mann,
505-827-6461, or
www.santafepeace.org;
or visit
www.newmexico.org
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