Loren, Clinton and Gorbachev Record RNO CD.

Here are some of the Foundation's current programs:

Russian National Orchestra
Since its founding in 1991, the Russian National Orchestra has delighted and amazed audiences worldwide. Privately funded and free of government control, the RNO is the first fully independent orchestra in Russia in over 70 years. It has toured Asia, the US and Europe and its recordings are constantly ranked as among the best in the world. Since 1992, the Foundation has provided critical financial and organizational support to the RNO, helping this magnificent orchestra achieve the renown it deserves.

Cultural Allies
The Foundation has organized an arts exchange initiative with funding from the Trust for Mutual Understanding, The Starr Foundation and other generous supporters. Participants include Wynton Marsalis, Dave Brubeck, Jessye Norman, Leonard Slatkin and other leading classical and jazz musicians and performing arts organizations.

Magic of Music
For four years, the Foundation has been bringing musicians and artists into Russian orphanages and institutions for disabled children. Art and music have added a new dimension to the lives of these challenged youth. What is more, the Foundation's program is changing attitudes about how these institutions should help and treat the children in their charge.

RNO-Grove Street Winery Summer Concert Series
Since 2002, the RNO-Grove Street Winery Concert Series has included performances, special events, family concerts and world premieres, featuring some of the world's top musicians, led by acclaimed conductors.

Original Compositions & Performances
The Foundation commissioned Jean-Pascal Beintus to compose Wolf Tracks, developed under the artistic direction of Kent Nagano. It is a modern tale of a boy and a wolf, this time told from the perspective of the wolf. The wolf is no longer the fearsome creature of Prokofiev's creation, but a reflection of the balance that must exist between human and wildlife populations, voicing the imperative to cherish and protect natural resources. (For more information on Wolf Tracks, see Vol. 2, No. 1 of the RAF News.)

Exhibitions & Publishing
The Foundation has supported exhibits of contemporary Russian artists, as well as exhibits of Fabergé and other art from Imperial Russia.

The Foundation is helping independent Russian publishers adopt modern publishing practices that will enable them to survive in Russia's challenging market and produce books of quality.