Songs Without Borders

Originally conceived in 2003 as a goodwill tour, “Songs Without Borders” has blossomed into a cross-cultural music exchange program that is a valuable pedagogical and collaborative performance vehicle reaching many countries that would not otherwise have exposure to our American music or our training.

After enjoying a successful national and international singing career, a desire to “give back” through teaching and collaborating with music professors, students, and musicians around the world has become an important professional goal. A logical progression was to create “Songs without Borders.” With an emphasis on promoting contemporary American music, this program has been immensely successful in reaching musicians and audiences who might not otherwise have an opportunity to hear these important contributions. Countries that have benefited from this program include Myanmar, Guatemala, Thailand, Mongolia, Djibouti, Latvia, Canary Islands, Lithuania, and the Russian Federation to name a few.

Recitals are performed in both major and remote venues and in collaboration with professional musicians from the visited country. Master classes in American vocal and piano pedagogy are offered to reach the conservatory students. The success of this program is evidenced by the numerous invitations received each year. My most recent invitation has resulted in a Fulbright Specialist Grant to Ulan Bataar, Mongolia where I will teach vocal pedagogy and American song literature, as well as advise on curriculum issues.

A great deal is accomplished through this program: international exposure of American contemporary vocal music, pedagogy classes at the conservatory level, recitals in collaboration with musicians from the invited countries, and last but not least, an opportunity for ambassadorial goodwill.

To quote a recent review, “Peace is not about an absence of war but the presence of love, as evidenced by Pamela Hinchman whose love connection with music has the capacity to connect and heal the very bonds of humanity.”

Sponsors of this program have included the University Research Grant Committee (URG) of Northwestern University, various U.S. Embassies around the world, University of Kansas and, most recently, the Fulbright. Each year, additional sponsorship is needed.