The Cultural Bridge Project arose from the desire of group of like-minded musicians, artists, and cultural adventurers whose unique and transformative travel experiences, facilitated by the bridge of music and art, often taking them deep behind the veil where few tourists dare to wander, to make that experience possible for others who desired such opportunities to connect, create, and experience. 

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Late nights in a Bedouin tent high in the dry desert mountains above the Red Sea with a local drummer and signer of traditional songs accompanied by a centuries old stringed instrument that resembled a lyre. Fiddles and guitars joining in. Dancing. Harmonies. 

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Taxi driver racing down the road which parallels the Nile. Thumbs up for Obama. Thumbs down for the soon to be toppled President. Cairo Jazz Club packed for resistance messages hip hop rhyme buoyed by ancient minor key melodies and everyone dancing. 

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Two young brothers approach me as I settle into a shady spot on the Lago de Atitlan with a great view of the volcano towering over the other shore and ask if I play the guitar I'm holding. Sure but do they play?! And play and sing way beyond their young years - mesmerizing harmonies and rhythms and pan pipe sounds that transported us to the high mountains. Kindred sounds to those who come from the Appalachian mountains. 

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The Project's mission is to support traditional music, arts, and culture from around the world through arts-focused immersive travel, exchange, workshops, events, and service. Our first trip brought us to the western highlands of Guatemala in October of 2014, followed by a musical tour through Cuba in January of 2016.  

 

Photos by Lisa Chosed document our experience Antigua, Panajachel, and El Lago de Atitlán. For more media, check out our facebook page and youtube channel. oinFollow us on Facebook to stay up-to-date on new adventures in 2022 and beyond and a crowd-sourced website for details on how to find the best music and art around the world.  

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