 Hello, everyone, and welcome to Mentor Talks. My name is Asha Bay, and I'm joining you from the Office of Alumni Affairs in ECA at the U.S. Department of State. Our office opens the door to alumni networking, professional development, and grant opportunities. Where are you joining us from? Let us know in the comments. Mentor Talks is a virtual series that features exchange program alumni sharing their stories, mentorship, and advice. This is your opportunity to connect with these leaders and mentors. Like our guest today, Carla Dirlikov-Kanalis, an exchange alumna, internationally renowned opera singer, and longtime U.S. Department of State Arts Envoy. Carla is a MesoSoprano opera singer, best known for her portrayals of Bizet's Carmen, which she has performed nearly a hundred times in more than 12 countries. Carla is also a social advocate and cultural entrepreneur. She's currently at Harvard University, serving as a 2021 Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow, the youngest fellow in the history of the program to date. Before we get into conversation with Carla, we want to hear from you, our online viewers. What would you like to ask Carla? Post your questions in the comments. Now, let's turn to Carla. Hi, Asha. Hi, Carla, welcome. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us on Mentor Talks. Oh, I'm thrilled to be here. I really appreciate the invitation. You're welcome. Before we get to questions from our audience, we have one for you. You've been an Arts Envoy since 2005. What was it like being an Envoy last year? And what would you say is the value of making international connections through exchange? Well, Asha, ironically, last year was a really busy year for me as an Arts Envoy. And I learned a lot through the virtual programming that we were able to do. I really applaud all of the efforts of the staff at State because essentially I was able to do, I think, four different programs, one of which was a long-term program, a two-month-long program with Honduras that I don't know would have been possible in a non-virtual setting. So for me, these were among my favorite programs, even though I never got to meet folks in person, I felt like I had a lot of time during that program to get to know them and to get to know them in ways that were maybe more personal through email and through some of the assignments. So it was definitely a different experience, but one that opened my imagination to what would be possible if we can really utilize the technology that's available in particular the Honduras program was really interesting one because we created a curriculum which we called Campo de Valores, our values camp for kids. And it was an interesting challenge because the policies that I was looking at promoting for lack of a better word with the young kids were sort of anti-corruption or anti-immigration policies, but by looking at the opposite, rather than in anti, but a pro, what does it mean to be pro-citizenship? What does it mean to be a good citizen? We really developed some fascinating songs and ideas out of that program, which I hope might be utilized in some other programming. And other programs that I got to do were with Kazakhstan, Peru, and an ongoing start of the program with Montenegro. So it was fantastic. Wow, that's great. So you mainly like by doing a Zoom with people and then you get to also like do breakout rooms or connect with them that way? It's a good question. I'll return to the Campo de Valores example. So essentially we had two months for that, but the first month was with the younger kids. So every week we selected a different value. I sort of created this curricula around what does it mean to be a good citizen? Because that's something that both us as Americans and the folks I was working with as Hondurans, we both value that, right? So I think we covered on the first week integrity. We covered kindness. We covered certainly citizenship and I think discipline. I forgive me, I can't remember, but so each week we had one session and during that session we read stories and talked about this moral quality and then there was a song. And by the time it was the next week, each participant had to create their version of that song. So there was a lot of homework involved with it as well as writing assignments and so forth. So it was really kind of a continuous project even though we only met once a week through Zoom, because I was constantly getting homework and giving feedback and going back and forth with participants. We also used WhatsApp a lot. So that was really interesting to see how we can communicate more through these platforms. Cool, that's interesting to hear. So you're currently at Harvard. Can you tell us more about your fellowship project? Oh, sure, yeah, I'm really excited about this and I think it stems so deeply from my experiences as an arts envoy. I tell everyone that being an arts envoy has been life changing for me and I feel that because I got to start this program so early on in my life and my career, it set a very high standard for what a great experience would be musically and culturally and professionally. It's inspired me to start my not-for-profit but it's definitely been the reason that I applied for the fellowship at Harvard because I've seen firsthand how you can utilize and harness the power of culture to build bridges. And I've seen that through my experiences as an arts envoy. I feel that there's more we can do with that. Not just as Americans but through multilateral organization and by essentially using the power of cultural diplomacy to remind us of what we all have in common. Oftentimes we think of music as that universal language and as a musician I'll say, yes, I think that there's truth to that of course but I see this a little bit differently. I think our universal is our power to feel. We all as humans we have this capacity to feel joy or pain or sorrow or laughter and that's what unites us. And music offers us a tool to explore those feelings and explore that human condition but ultimately to me the superpower of the arts really is to open our capacity to imagine and it's through that imagination that we can potentially see a better world. See a place where we don't have the divisions whether domestically or internationally that unfortunately keep us apart more than they bring us together. And when we can imagine a way to overcome that and see how much we have in common I think that's a real superpower. And so I'm devoting my time at Harvard to exploring further ways to create programming like what I described in Honduras and to really speak with people in research what's being done with cultural diplomacy. So I'm very thankful for that opportunity. That's great. I think that leads us into one of our questions from our viewers. Earlier this year you wrote an op-ed in USA Today about a vacant post left in President Biden's cabinet. What post is that? Well, I wanna say first I did frame it in a slightly controversial or instigatorial way but that's because I think this is really important. Our country is one of very, very few countries that does not have a minister of culture or a secretary of culture or a delegated department or post for, exclusively for culture. What we do have is of course the work the amazing work that's being done at state which I feel very proud to be a part of and because I've seen the power of that work I would like to expand on that. I think it would benefit us tremendously as Americans. And the reason I wrote the op-ed was because I learned that the G20 is now created a ministerial track for culture. So all of the countries in the G20 who have a minister of culture which as I understand it are 19, they're having their cultural ministers meet and talk about this and explore ways to work together and to use that power of culture. Now, I hope that the United States will send some sort of representative but the fact that we don't have a delegated person who specializes in this who's familiar with the statistics of course the GDP statistic. We know that the cultural sector especially if it's defined as creative workers in the United States brings in a larger GDP than the agriculture sector and of course we have a department of agriculture. So I tried to make arguments both substantial economic arguments but of course arguments for my heart because it's my sector it's what I care deeply about and I see how many of my colleagues and close friends have been deeply affected by COVID that is an army of compassion. That is a huge network of underutilized artists when we have a deficit of the social values the artist can bring to the table. So I see that as a business proposition as a work proposition and something that can add great value to our country. Yeah, I agree. That's my personal opinion of course. Yeah, I was just gonna say that we've really seen artists step it up during this pandemic times. They haven't had, you know obviously people aren't going to the theater or the movies the way they used to but artists had been able to do other projects and work in other ways. We had like a grant for example where people were like poetry is like bread and they would go to different restaurants and recite poetry and the outdoor space and it was really cool. It was actually in New York where you are. Oh, I would have loved to have seen that. I think that we've seen such a beautiful recognition of the power of poetry in various ways but certainly a highlight was Amanda Gorman's poetry at the inauguration. And for me singing is that marriage of poetry and words and the power of words along with melody and music. So it's unique in music and that we really bridge those two together but that's the work that you're doing to support artists during this time. And the fact that the programming has not diminished in any way but rather it's kind of ramped up as I understand with over 400 programs from March of 19 to March of 20 or rather from March of 20 to March of 21 during that essential time of the pandemic you've really helped to support so many artists through this time. So I for one, I'm very thankful. Yeah, you're welcome from ECA and the State Department. So yeah, I also wanted to, you have an initiative called Hear Her Song and that's part of your the Canales project. Yes, yes, I was and have always been very inspired by the work as an arts envoy because if I can talk about this for a moment as a classical opera singer and I think for most typical trajectory it's very technical and it requires a huge dedication to just honing in that technique. And ultimately my job in those roles is to interpret what's on the page to the best of my ability. But as an arts envoy, I saw a totally different power and that was the power to utilize the arts and communication and let's say empathy to connect in a way I felt is much deeper than that traditional trajectory in building bridges because that was the end goal not the perfect technique or a sort of Olympic 10 out of 10 standard. And I'm not trying to diminish that there's definitely a lot of value in pursuing that and I still get enjoyment from that. But for me what really makes me tick and motivates me is that work of connection. So I started an offer profit with a mission of exploring issues of identity and culture comes largely from my own background my mother's Mexican, my father's Bulgarian so I've grappled with these questions my whole life. And one of the issues that was most core and came about early on three, four months after I started the not for profit is of course women's equality. We saw the Me Too March start in 17 and that was really when along with Vital Voices I started this project with the desire to just celebrate and thank remarkable women. We don't wanna point a finger at guys or it's not with any kind of negative connotation rather it's really to say thank you to so many women who've done amazing work to make a difference in the world. And the way that we do that is by commissioning female identifying composers to write songs that honor these female honorees. So we achieve a number of different things there. We're trying to provide equitable opportunities for female composers of all genres from Broadway, folk, classical, pop. And it really creates a very interesting connection when you see these women's words or our leaders put to music. So we're close to 50 songs now. We just came out with our debut album. We've literally worked with both composers and honorees from around the world. And I invite anyone who's interested to check out the new album, check out our website. If you have any ideas for us I'm always looking for suggestions and advice on the project. So please get in touch with me directly and I'd love to hear from you. Okay, that sounds like a great initiative. So speaking languages and cultures, you speak many different languages, Spanish, French, Italian, German and English. What's next on your list? For sure Chinese. I have a real hunger for Chinese culture, Chinese language, Chinese history. And that stemmed from one of my experiences as an arts envoy. My first trip to China was as such. And I remember that tour because I think I went to eight or 10 cities in the span of two weeks or something. It was such a whirlwind. And despite how much I'd read about China, nothing could have prepared me for the tremendous impact that trip had on my life. And more than anything, the warmth that I felt from the people. I just felt that there was such a curiosity and an interest in connecting. And that has started a long term, I think almost a decade now, long friendship for me with a number of venues and conductors and artists there, including recently I'm going to be doing a performance for the Wei Lun Foundation in Hong Kong where they're really doing important work to help women and children, particularly children who have lost a parent due to COVID. So for me, that's extremely important. And it goes back to what I'm trying to do at Harvard, which is better understand cultural diplomacy, historically what has worked, what would be some of the ROIs that we've seen from the Cold War initiatives, from jazz diplomacy, et cetera. And then taking a look at where are some of our priorities right now, the foreign policy priorities. And certainly there's a lot of talk about China. So for me, I'm really interested right now in utilizing the arts to bring us together. And if I may say just one more thing, since we touched on Hear Her Song, I also would like to extend an invitation to anyone who would like to join us thrilled to have the chance to be debuting a series right now in partnership, co-sponsorship with the Belfast Center's Future of Diplomacy Project. And it's called the Future of Cultural Diplomacy. So our initial conversation was between Nancy Zalwinski, who's the Director of Cultural Programming for State and Ambassador Nick Burns, who has been a long-term, long-time career diplomat and just an incredible source of wisdom. And next Monday, we will be having a session with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy. So it's a project where I'm really hoping to bring more artists to the table who have experience in this cultural diplomacy work. And I would especially love to, you know, be able to connect with alumni and are just artists who are interested in the subject. And I invite you all to join us for that session on Monday. Yeah, we'll be sure to post that, post the information about the session so alumni can join you. Thank you. Sure, you're welcome. And how do you feel that, you know, because right now, you know, US-China relations aren't so great, but what's the role that, you know, you and others who are in the cultural space can play in bringing people together and, you know, improving relations? I could talk about this for a long time. Thank you for asking that question. First of all, it bruises my heart when I hear that narrative, that the relations aren't so great because I, let me tell you a story. It's not like I was a fanatic of China since I was a little kid. I thought as an opera singer, I would work more in Europe. I'd prepared myself linguistically and, you know, done most of my early work there. And the first time I went to China, I was very moved by the people. And there was a director who heard me on that trip as an arts envoy who turned out to be the casting director for the MCPA in Beijing, which is the National Center for Performing Arts, a beautiful stunning theater with, I think, a four or 4,200 seat opera hall. It's bigger than the Metropolitan Opera. And very graciously, he offered me the chance to return to China to sing two major roles, including Carmen and I think some of the pictures were shown previously. That Carmen production was what has changed my life in that, you know, I was the only American in that cast and it was very hard at first. I didn't understand why I wasn't able to connect with people. You know, normally you're in a cast, you kind of eat lunch together, hang out at the breaks. Yes, there was a language barrier, but I thought, hey, you know, we're all artists, arts should bring us together. And no, it was very distant and cold. And we got to the final orchestra rehearsal and I had a wonderful conductor. He was very supportive. And at one point he cues the oboist and the oboist doesn't play. And he cues the oboist again and the oboist stands up in perfect English and turns to me and says, I don't play for Americans. And all of a sudden it was a light bulb moment for me and I went, oh, wow, that's why they've been cold. I thought maybe it was my singing or my artistry. They didn't like, you know, what I was doing. And it made perfect sense, Asha, because it's a national center for the performing arts. This is Carmen, whole Chinese cast, why would they bring in an American? Why would they bring in anyone who isn't Chinese for this role? And I truly felt badly that I was in that position and I thought, well, we got to get through the show and little by little I started to try to understand where they were coming from, try to understand their culture, try to understand all of these different aspects. And by the end, long story short, I made such deep friendships through that production. We cried, I mean, I cried like a baby after the last show. They called me their Lao Tzu, which is like a teacher or friend. And I've now gone back to do Carmen with that conductor many times and they become dear friends. But I think both of our countries in the same vein, we need to really put ourselves in the shoes of the other and understand where we're coming from. And it takes a willingness to sort of back off from one's own position and be prepared to learn something. And to me, that's true diplomacy. It's not so much about imparting knowledge as it is about learning and acquiring knowledge. So a long story, but that was a big lesson for me in my life. Yeah. I think that really highlights the power of exchanges. Yes. So we have another question from our audience. They want to know, how did you get into singing opera? Oh, that's a good question. I mean, I don't know. I guess on one hand, my father is Bulgarian. There's a real tradition for opera there. And I grew up listening to that. And my mom is Mexican and there's a tradition for singing, just any kind of singing, rancheras, mariachi, all that. So there's always music around the house, but I wasn't a particularly gifted singer. I was just really loud. And I thought maybe musical theater or jazz, but my teachers were like, you're really, you've got this big voice. And singing opera is a bit like finding a diamond in the rough. You got to keep working at it. They say it takes 10 years to train these muscles. It's like being the marathon runner of sports. You have long endurance. You have to sing without a microphone over an orchestra, over a chorus. And there was something that was really attractive to me about that physical challenge, that it's all natural. But I think also operas, they're dramatic. It's the abysses. It's the highs and the lows. It's all of these unfathomable situations. But it's through that lens that you can sort of see the most extreme points of life and maybe gain a perspective that's unique from that. So I was attracted to that from a young age and was lucky that I had good teachers that shaped my wobbly, strange instrument into something usable. So I mean, I think I saw an interview where you actually had started out playing violin. Yes, that's right. Yeah, I did. And at a certain point, I would go to my lessons. My teacher would say, just sing the line first. Sing the melody for me. And I realized, I like the singing way better. And she was frustrated. She would say, why can't you just play it how you sing it? That's how I want you to play it. And then I was like, I'm done. Maybe I'm the wrong thing here. So it's obviously a lot less expensive also. That's one of the great gifts of singing. It's free. That makes a big difference. For someone like me, I come from a sort of, some might say, an underserved community in Michigan outside of Detroit. And finding that joy was really something very special that helped me through high school and got me into college. So I'm very, very lucky. That's great. And are there other art forms that you are exploring or ways of communicating? Well, I think as I got older, I kind of went back to the joy of the non-technical singing. And hear her song, for instance, the studio album. Of course, we use microphones. So I was interested in understanding that. I've also, I've always been interested in folk music. And I produced an album where I reimagined Spanish folk songs with electronics. I kind of was interested in bridging the worlds between the music I was trained to sing and the music I would listen to. Because backstage, I wasn't listening to paparazzi. I was listening to Bjork or Madonna or Rihanna or whoever to get pumped up. And I was interested in seeing, could I bridge those two worlds? And what would that feel like? And I love getting to sing that stuff. It's really fun. But there really isn't anything that challenges me physically the way that opera does. And perhaps because I'm trained to do it, but there's a sort of catharsis that comes from that big, screamy sound. OK. So I think we're kind of running out of time here. So I have another question for you. Before we go, what would be your advice for fellow artists on how they can be cultural envoys, even if that's not their official title? You know, I'm glad someone asked that. Thank you for that question. It's never about the title. It's about how you feel when you look in the mirror. You know at the end of the day, you're being your alma, as we say in Spanish, your soul knows the work that you've done. And you know if you've touched someone's life. And I think that's always the guide for me. There have been few times, but times where I've sung on the street. And I knew that in that moment, just sharing a song with someone was going to do something for them. And that's not cultural envoy in any formal way. But the work of that is the most important work that any of us as musicians can do. I think of this as a calling. And I often say I think we're beyond entertainers. We can be beyond entertainers. And perhaps the highest aspiration of that is to be healers. And the world needs healing right now. It's a very, very difficult time for so many people. And I think that if you can aspire to those moments of sharing. And it's walking a very fine line for me anyway between confidence of like, OK, I'm going to sing here without a mic, without an orchestra, without anything. But because I want to offer something of myself, of my soul. But also the humility and the vulnerability of doing that. And that's the challenge is to be genuine and to really give of your soul. The last thing I'll say is the inspiration for that album I mentioned, the Spanish album, is a word called duende. And if any of you have some time and are interested, that's a thing, man. Duende means the feeling we all feel, but no philosopher can explain. And it was a word that was developed by Federico García Lorca, Spanish playwright. But check out his work on it, because he really goes deep into this authentic experience that music and the arts can provide for us. And I think what he's tapping into there is soul. How is your soul? What connects to your soul? When are you touched in your soul? And to me, at the end of the day, that is what it's all about. That's what life is about. And we don't live in that realm all the time. We can't. It would probably be too intense. But I encourage anyone who's listening, who has an artistic inclination, and it doesn't have to be professional. But share of your soul. Share of yourself right now, because we need that in the world. I need that. I look for small moments of a smile from a stranger on the street. Or when I see a street performer or anything like this, those are little moments of someone giving you something. And I think the world can be a much better place if we start by giving in those small ways. That's great advice. Thank you. Love that. Thanks for the question. That was a really good one. Sure, you're welcome. And thank you very much, Carla, for being with us today. It was my pleasure. Thank you for everything you do for us alumni. And I really want to say to anyone watching, please be in touch. I really hope to hear from anyone who has suggestions, advice, or just wants to be friends and talk about the experiences. Would really welcome that. So thank you. Great. And I also like to thank all of our viewers today for participating and joining us. Are you interested in learning more about our awesome exchange alumni? You can visit our website at alumni.state.gov. And you can also follow us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. Thanks for watching. And see you all soon for our next Mentor Talks.