Cambodian Living Arts

who we are

A  Project of World Education

Supporting the revival of traditional art forms of Cambodia and inspiring contemporary artistic expression

Cambodian Living Arts was founded by Arn Chorn-Pond, a Cambodian-American refugee featured in the Emmy nominated movie, The Flute Player. Originally called the Cambodian Master Performers Program, Arn founded the organization to support the music teachers who helped him survive the horrors of the Khmer Rouge.

Cambodian Living Arts (CLA) supports the revival of Cambodian art forms, many of which were nearly lost under the Khmer Rouge, and inspires the contemporary expression of Cambodia’s arts. We support approximately 300 students across Cambodia in 19 classes led by some of the country’s most respected musicians.

what we do

We work to empower our students and master teachers to sustain themselves through the arts. For our master teachers, we provide a living wage, basic healthcare, teaching support, technical assistance in recording and archiving their work and support for performances and other income-earning opportunities. For students, we provide a stipend to attend public school while cultivating their artistic skills. For a few exceptional students, we provide university scholarships.

Anyone who has been touched by the grandeur of Cambodia’s centuries-old temples and would like to see the beauty, joy and hope of our living arts, will be inspired by what our extraordinary musicians and students have to offer.