Genocide survivor shares stories, music in live event

PUTNEY - Next Stage Arts, 15 Kimball Hill, is hosting Cambodian artist Arn Chorn-Pond’s presentation “Coming Home: A Journey of Healing Through Music,” on Friday, October 24, at 7:30 pm.
Chorn-Pond—genocide survivor, human rights leader, and founder of Cambodian Living Arts—returns to Putney for an evening of story, music, and reflection.
Through a presentation that includes personal storytelling, slides, video, and live flute performance, Chorn-Pond shares an extraordinary journey from surviving the Khmer Rouge as a child soldier, to finding refuge in the US, then returning home to preserve and revitalize Cambodia’s cultural traditions. The evening culminates with a live musical performance and an open Q&A with the audience.
In 1984, Chorn-Pond became the first Cambodian child soldier to speak publicly about the atrocities that occurred during the Cambodian genocide, delivering a speech to 10,000 people at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York. Since then, Chorn-Pond founded Children of War, bringing together child survivors of war to share stories of survival and hope to the world. 
A genocide survivor, Chorn-Pond escaped from a child labor camp, made it to refugee camps set up at the Thailand border, and was one of the first child refugees to be adopted by an American, coming to the US to live and be educated. 
As part of Next Stage’s 15th year celebration, two of Next Stage’s founders, John Burt and Billy Straus, will be honored at this event.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $24 at the door, and $10 livestream. Advance tickets may be purchased at nextstagearts.org. For more information call (802) 387-0102 or visit nextstagearts.org.