Oran Etkin 'Open Arms'

Oran Etkin, described as “ebullient” by the New York Times, was voted No. 1 Rising Star Clarinetist in DownBeat Magazine’s 2016 Critics Poll. He has been invited several times to be a guest lecturer at Harvard University. Etkin’s music can be heard on concert stages worldwide and numerous recordings, including a Grammy Award-winning anti-bullying compilation album.
Etkin reimagined how touring could become part of the creative process with his “Gathering Light” project. Flipping the traditional record-then-tour model, he first toured in Indonesia, China, Japan, Israel and West Africa and then let the rhythms and melodies he encountered influence the music he created with his New York-based band of Nasheet Waits, Ben Allison, Lionel Loueke and Curtis Folks.
Since then, Etkin has deepened his concept of gathering light as he tours by taking time off between shows to live with traditional mbira masters in Zimbabwe or building collaborative projects with Roma (Gypsy) musicians in Czech Republic. In April 2020, Etkin launched the “Open Arms” project, a monthly release of singles and music videos recorded and filmed around the world with master musicians in locations such as Rio de Janeiro; Harare, Zimbabwe; Prague; São Paulo; and Paris. He also released a similar project for children, “Finding Friends Far from Home,” filming and recording on location around the world.