PPOE Musical Ambassadors

http://www.projectpeaceonearth.org/affiliate-ambassador-program/musicians/PPOE Musical AmbassadorsProject Peace On Earth

  Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - is considered the world’s greatest Sufi /Qawwali singer.  Rahat’s family has an unbroken tradition of performing Qawwali for more than 600 years.  Rahat took over the family Qawwali party after Nusrat’s death in 1997.  Rahat’s music has been featured in Tim Robbin’s film “Dead Man Walking” which featured Sean Penn and Mel Gibson’s film “Apocalypto.” Rahat has performed with numerous high-profile musicians including Eddie Vedder and James Horner.  He tours globally.

  Beth Nielsen Chapman.   She has had several popular songs on the Adult Contemporary charts in the 1990s, such as “I Keep Coming Back to You”, “Walk My Way”, “The Moment You Were Mine” and “All I Have”. In 1993, she sang a popular duet with Paul Carrack, “In the Time it Takes”.

Co-songwriter of Faith Hill‘s hit song “This Kiss“, Chapman has written songs performed by numerous artists: Trisha Yearwood (“Down On My Knees”, “You Say You Will“, “Trying to Love You”), Martina McBride(“Happy Girl“), Willie Nelson (“Nothing I Can Do About It Now”, “Ain’t Necessarily So”, “If My World Didn’t Have You”), Tanya Tucker (“Strong Enough to Bend”), Lorrie Morgan (“Five Minutes“), Mary Chapin Carpenter(“Almost Home”), Jim Brickman & Rebecca Lynn Howard (“Simple Things”), Alabama (“Here We Are”), Suzy Bogguss (“Save Yourself”), Claudia Church (“What’s the Matter With You Baby”), Holly Dunn (“You Say You Will”), Crystal Gayle (“When Love is New”), Highway 101 (“All the Reasons Why“, “Long Way Down”), Terri Clark (“Sometimes Goodbye”), Mindy McCready (“One in a Million”), Waylon Jennings (“Shine On Me”, “Old Church Hymns and Nursery Rhymes”), and Bette Midler (“The Color of Roses”), among others.  Several artists have performed with Beth on her albums: Bonnie Raitt on “Heads Up for the Wrecking Ball” and “Shake My Soul”; Vince Gill on “Deeper Still”; John Prine on “Every December Sky”; Michael McDonald on “Right Back Into the Feeling” & “Will and Liz”; Emmylou Harris & Kimmie Rhodes on “There’s a Light”;

 Alex Ebert, Musical Ambassador for Project-Peace on Earth (PPOE), founder and lead singer of the famed rock group Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros discusses the the mystical nature of music and the importance of the Project-Peace on Earth worldwide musical prayer for peace.

   Alise Ketnere (Fox Lima) - She answered the call to one of the largest talent hunts in the world by one of the most famous rock groups in history called “Enigma” famed for its Gregorian-lke musical projects.  She answered the call to Enigmas song writing contest.  The rest is history.

  Sussan Deyhim – famed Iranian Sufi singer internationally known for creating a unique sonic and vocal language.  She has collaborated with Peter Gabriel, Bobby Mc Ferren, Micky Hart and other noted musicians.  Her composition Windfall/Beshno Az Nev was used by U2 throughout their 360 tours in the US and Europe.

   Jonathan Elias – Founder and CEO of Elias Arts. Musician and Composer of the album “The Prayer Cycle.” Jonathan Elias began his career by scoring the trailer for Ridley Scott’s film Alien while still a college student. His contribution brought him instant industry attention leading to additional scoring work for Blade Runner, Gandhi, Back to the Future, Fight Club, and Random Hearts. He has also written for soundtracks such as Chaplin, Jagged Edge, Parents, 9 1/2 Weeks and the recent The Singing Detective starring Robert Downey, Jr. In addition to composing many award-winning commercials such as Nike’s Move, which earned him an Emmy. Jonathan is looked upon as one of the world’s most successful composers in this field. He was responsible for creating the famous “Moon Landing” score in 1983 for the launch of MTV, the first sound mark for Apple Computers in 1994, the Columbia Pictures sound logo, and the world famous Yahoo! yodel sound mark. His company, Elias Arts, has won countless other awards including dozens of Clios (ten this year alone), multiple Cannes prizes, several London International Advertising Awards and others too numerous to note. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, Elias has become the premiere agency for commercial branding, providing music for clients such as Ford, GM, Nissan, Audi, Infiniti, Mercedes, AT&T, NASDAQ, IBM, Apple, Sony, Levi’s, Adidas and Nike.

As a record producer, Jonathan has produced David Bowie, Duran Duran, Grace Jones, BB King, Alanis Morissette, James Taylor and Yes among others. In 1989, he produced his first solo album, Requiem for the Americas, a tribute to the spirit and vision of Native American culture. Ten years later, the inspiration from the birth of his first child led to a multi-language, nine-movement choral symphony centered on a message of hope, The Prayer Cycle. This Sony Classical release topped the charts globally and was also named one of Billboard’s international Best Selling Classical Crossover albums.

  Lili Haydn -  Rolling Stone magazine has called her music “fiery and virtuosic…”  Lili Haydn has released four critically acclaimed major label recordings as a solo artist. Lili (1997 Atlantic Records), Light Blue Sun (2003 BMG Music), Goodbye Stranger Ep (2007 Nettwerk Music Group), and Place Between Places (2008 Nettwerk Music Group). She has played with, sung with, and opened for everyone from Roger Waters, Herbie Hancock, Sting, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Josh Groban, Seal, Matchbox 20, Cyndi Lauper, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and George Clinton’s P-Funk All Stars to name a few. Both as a solo artist and as support, Lili has performed in premiere concert halls such as Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Opera House and the Hollywood Bowl.

In addition to Lili’s extensive recording and touring career, Lili is the featured voice and violin on several films with Hans Zimmer (Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and 4 (2007, 2011), The Burning Plain (2009), Casi Divas (2009), The Boat that Rocked (2009)), as well as with composers Harry Gregson Williams (The Town), Ramin Djwadi (The Unborn (2009), Fright Night (2011), Henry Jackman (Henry IV, Gulliver’s Travels), Cliff Eidelman, Paul Cantelon, Tom Petty (Open Window (2006), She’s the One (1996), among others.

   Richard Horowitz – composer, best know for his work on The Sheltering Sky, directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Debra Winger and John Malkovich, which was awarded the 1990 Golden Globe award.  Founder and Artistic director for Gnaoua Festival in Mogador Morocco (500,000 people annually).

   AO Music - consisting of Miriam Stockley (acclaimed for her song Adiemus), Richard Gannaway, Jay Oliver, Sandeep Chowta, Andy Georges, George Bernando, and Doug Lunn).

  Hani Naser  – a virtuoso percussionist and Oud player. Considered a master in his field.  Hani has performed and recorded with many of the most influential artists of this era including:  Bob Dylan, Carlos Santana, Nickey Hopkins (Rolling Stones), Jackson Brown, Bonnie Raitt, Ry Cooder, Jim Keltner (John Lennon’s drummer), Steve Miller, Don Henley (Eagles), Hamza El Din, Kazu Matsui, David Broza, Lou Reed, David Lindley and many other great musicians.

Musical Ambassadors

  Omar Akram  -  His first album was Opal Fire on Real Music, which went Top 15 on Billboard magazine’s national New Age sales chart, and featured Akram’s piano backed by additional keyboards played by Omar and David Dial. On his second CD, Free as a Bird, Omar again composed all the music, but this time produced half the album and utilized top keyboardist Gregg Karukas to produce the other half. Omar also expanded his sound by bringing in guest musicians including saxophonist Eric Marienthal (The Rippingtons). The recording was ranked the #2 contemporary instrumental album of the year by the prestigious Wind & Wire publication.

 David Arkenstone - is a 3-time Grammy nominee with over 40 albums to his credit, numerous works in Television,  Films and Video Games, with his records appearing continuously on the Billboard Charts. David Arkenstone’s music was named in the Top 30 albums of the decade and his work has appeared repeatedly in the list of the top new age artists in the Billboard Magazine’s Year in Review issues along side Enya, George Winston, 2002, Kitaro and Jim Brickman. David is currently signed to Domo Records (also home to New Age Artist, Kitaro)

   Ms. Sasha Cooke - 2011 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording for her performance as Kitty Oppenheimer in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of John Adams’ “Doctor Atomic.”  The 54th Grammy AwardsMezzo-soprano of the NY Metropolitan Opera.

 Pamela and Randy Copus - the duo known as 2002, have charted 9 albums on the Billboard Charts. 2002made the list of top new age artists in the Billboard Magazine.   Also on the list; Yanni, Manhneim Steamroller, Jim Brickman, George Winston and Enya.

  Mark Isham - Grammy, Emmy, and Clio award winning composer.  Mark composed the soundtrack for the Oscar award winning film “Crash“. His musical collaborations include work with:  Sting, Bruce Springsteen & Will.I.Am.

  Cofield Mundi - Her distinctive voice and prolific songwriting ability are a powerful combination. Cofield recently released her seventh radio single, called “Look at the Sun”. Six of her singles have charted in the top ten. In 2011, Cofield charted on both South African and US radio. “I’m gonna fly” climbed to number 1 on the Ryan Seacrest Top 8 at 8 show on KFM 94.5 and Highveld 94.7 FM, as well as charting on other major AC stations across South Africa. In the first few weeks of release, “Count me out remix” made the US Mediabase most added AC single chart alongside Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and Train. “Days”, similarly made the Mediabase most added single chart for Smooth Jazz alongside Sade and Dave Koz. Cofield’s two albums, Ceremony (2004) and The Big Question (2009), licensed to Universal Music Group, were nominated for Best Pop Album and Best Adult Contemporary Album (2009) respectively. As a result of both her radio and media success, Cofield was asked to appear as a guest judge on South African Idols Season VII. Idols Season VI winner Elvis Blue on his album “Lightly Tread” covered her track “Only wanna be with you”. This album is nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Album for the 2012 South African Music Awards to be held in May this year. Mark Haze (Idols VII runner-up) covers a track on his upcoming release that Cofield cowrote in Nashville with Russell Dickerson (Combustion) called “Make Time Stand Still”.  An ambassador for both the Nelson Mandela 46664 Foundation and The Sunflower Leukemia Fund, she enjoys contributing to her community. 

  Gary Nicholson – Grammy winning Texas Song Writer Hall of Fame inductee.  He has written songs for Robert Plant, Jeff Bridges, Vince Gill, Trisha Yearwood, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson, The Judds, Emmylou Harris and Bonnie Rait to name a few.

  Ash Ruiz – former famed singer of the band Menudo, the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the 1980′s.  The famed  Puerto Rican boy band that was formed in the 1970s by producer Edgardo Díaz, releasing their first album in 1977. The band achieved much success, especially during the 1980s, becoming the most popular Latin American teen musical group of the era.

  Seay: LifeStyle Music award nominated singer, songwriter and humanitarian, internationally known for her celestial voice and world inspired music.  Her album “A Winter Blessing” was named one of the Top 30 albums of the decade in New Age and World Music.

  Joanne Shenandoah – Grammy winning singer.  Iroquois Indian, she has been compared to Irish chanteuse Enya.  She has performed at the Olympics, Woodstock and President Clinton’s and President George W. Bush’s inaugural events.  She performs on the new Jonathan Elias “Prayer Cycle” album called “Path to Zero”.

   Kenji Williams – an award winning filmmaker, music producer, and classically-trained violinist. A world bridger of music, visual arts, science and philosophy, Williams has collaborated with Trance group Medicine Drum, world famous DJ John Digweed, visionary painter Alex Grey, evolutionary philosopher Ken Wilber, the Gates Planetarium Dome Theater (Denver Museum of Nature and Science), exposing his solo work from big music festivals around the world, to mainstream television, to exotic fashion shows at Japanese Temples. In addition to public and critical acclaim, Pioneer, Panasonic, and Sony corporations have sponsored Williams with technology to support his artistic vision. Combining unique skills in film and music, Williams has earned international film awards from the CSC to Sundance, exhibited work at the Smithsonian Institute.

   Monica Yunus – Soprano with NY Metropolitan Opera.  Co-Founder of Sing For Hope. Monica Yunus is quickly establishing herself as one of America’s most promising young sopranos. She has been called “especially winning” by The New York Times, and commended for her “rich and sensuous voice [that] was utterly captivating,” by the Charleston City Paper. Her performance as Gilda in Rigoletto was applauded by Opera Online as “a performance that was quintessentially, Gilda. During the 2010 – 11 season she once again joins The Metropolitan Opera, singing Alice in Le comte Ory and covering the role of Despina in Così fan tutte, makes her Washington National Opera debut as Oscar in Ballo in Maschera, and performs in concerts with the Syracuse Symphony, among others.  Daughter of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Muhammad Yunus.