Watch out, World - It's time for More Love!

The first blog post for Más Amor Art Initiative!

After years of implementing these projects as an individual - or by way of Chamber Music Silicon Valley, I've finally decided to brand these different initiatives under one, concise umbrella!

So, why did I decided to call it "Más Amor Arts Initiative?"

The story of this name is rooted in the earliest stages of these projects. Picture it: Tijuana, Mexico 2016, el Casa de Cultural en el Pipila, Chamber Music Silicon Valley's fellows and I had just arrived and were loading out of our bus. Our facilitator, Monserrat Rodriguez - who we all immediately fell in love with - was telling me about the Casa de Cultura and its mission of keeping youth off the streets, when I happened to glanced across the street. There, I saw an off-white wall with the words "Más Amor, Por Favor" (More love, please) tagged on it. From that point on, I began calling our annual trip to Mexico "Más Amor, Por Favor." To this day, seeing this wall warms my heart and reminds me of all the amazing memories we've built and the lives we've touched over these past few years. Moreover, Más Amor embodies what we're trying to do here: create and share more love around the world!

So what's next for us?... or first, rather...

Beirut, Lebanon under this new brand!

In approximately 3 weeks, I will embark on my second trip to the Middle East to work with faculty, artists, and students at Lebanese American University of Beirut. This invitation has come from my friends Amr Selim and Seba Ali, who are both full-time faculty members at LAU and have created the amazing Imagine Arts program.

Under Imagine, I will be able to work with some students and play a concert at LAU -- but most importantly, I will be given the opportunity to visit refugee camps for displaced Syrian and Palestinian communities. For this activity, I will be investing in a handful of musical instruments that I can bring with me to make some music with the youth of these camps, and leave a bit of Más Amor behind, so they can keep the music playing. I'll be in full-throttle fundraising mode for this very soon -- FYI ;)

Thank you for taking the time to read this first blog post (my personal first, as well.) I plan on encouraging the many, amazing artists who will work with Más Amor Arts Initiative to also write regularly.

P.S. -- While it's been primarily music-based outreach, there are immediate plans to expand to more arts... and we'll be challenging how we define art, too!

Ready, set... let's go!

Ray Furuta Founder: Más Amor Arts Initiative Concertizing Flutist www.rayfuruta.com