Keys of Change USA is a charity formed by individuals who deeply believe that playing music can make this world a better place. Keys of Change USA aims to advance the lives of children and young people around the world through musical education and access to live classical music performances. The original charity was set up in the UK in early 2011 by the international concert pianist Panos Karan.  More recently, supported by trustees in the U.S., Panos established a parallel charity in the U.S. called Keys of Change USA which qualifies for tax deductions in the U.S.  Both the UK and the USA charities work with their trustees, all involved in music and/or education, and a growing number of committed volunteers in many countries. 

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Over the four years, Keys of Change has brought classical music, often for the first time, to deprived or suffering audiences, in remote areas of the Amazon basin, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Kolkata and the tsunami-ravaged Fukushima area in Japan, as well as in Greece, Russia and London. Our music has brought alive emotions - fascination, happiness, tears of sadness – and generated hope and encouragement.

 

Wherever the work of Keys of Change goes, regardless of whether the project is supported by the UK or USA charities, we go to perform, we also set up and fund musical education projects, working in conjunction with local music teachers. In Ecuador, we organise weekly guitar lessons for young people from deprived backgrounds. In Uganda and Sierra Leone, we have provided instruments and music lessons. In Fukushima, Mexico, Ghana and India, we have made regular visits to work with young musicians to improve their playing, and give them the opportunity to perform in joint concerts with Keys of Change musicians. In India, our work helped create the Kolkata Youth Orchestra and in the case of Fukushima our work culminated in the founding of the Fukushima Youth Sinfonietta, and organising concerts for them at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Tokyo Opera City and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, and Symphony Hall in Boston. In the case of Ghana, our work resulted in the founding of the Accra Youth Sinfonietta while in Mexico we supported the creation of the Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil Santa Cecilia. 

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Keys of Change USA is excited about its role in supporting the advancement of the arts through music education with an emphasis on providing opportunities for young people living in poverty or difficult circumstances anywhere in the world.