NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE

DAYTON, OH | THURS, NOV. 14

EMPOWER. INFORM. CONNECT. ACTIVATE

Modern Warrior LIVE weaves storytelling, music and film into a seamless experience, presenting personal accounts of trauma and resilience directly from those who lived them.

Touring Production

Created by internationally acclaimed musician Dominick Farinacci and US Army Veteran Jaymes Poling, the centerpiece of our national 501(c)(3) nonprofit is our touring production that chronicles the story of U.S. Army veteran Jaymes Poling, his journey through three deployments in Afghanistan, and his subsequent transition back home. Narrated by Poling, this autobiographical production weaves together his story with a cast of world-class artists in multiple genres led by internationally acclaimed trumpeter Dominick Farinacci. It shares a personal and emotional journey of the challenges of military service and the experience veterans face when they return home, and it is a catalyst for meaningful conversation about mental health. With more than 150 performances to-date, Modern Warrior LIVE has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense – General James Mattis – and has been showcased at Amazon Headquarters and at the National Council for Mental Wellbeing Conference opening for Brené Brown.

“I admire what Dominick Farinacci and Jaymes Poling have created. The more of you engaging on this issue and restoring some balance in terms of characterizing our veterans as more than damaged goods can only be healthy for our vets, our armed forces recruiting, and our country.

James Mattis

[26th US Secretary of Defense]

“[Modern Warrior LIVE] will lift you up and blow you away.”

The Honorable Denis Richard McDonough

[US Secretary of Veterans Affairs 2020 - present]

LATEST NEWS

We were honored to be invited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Department of Defense Suicide Prevention Conference to present our Modern Warrior LIVE arts and storytelling model in Portland. Our presentation highlighted how this model empowers, connects, and mobilizes communities. Surrounded by leading voices and organizations in the veteran suicide prevention space throughout the week, we gained valuable insights and new ideas on integrating our model into upstream care.


Modern Warrior LIVE is grateful to be an official member of the We Face The Fight Coalition led by USAA, the Elizabeth Dole Foundation Reach Resilience and the Humana Foundation aimed at reducing veteran suicide in half over the next six years. Our immersive arts model gives veterans and their families a platform to share their story of trauma and their resilient path forward, EMPOWERING, INFORMING and CONNECTING communities, and ACTIVATING individuals in need to connect with their local and national mental health partners. We look forward to doing our part to highlight the vital resources available around the country through this coalition.

EXPERIENCE WORKSHOP

VETERAN COMMUNITIES

Realizing the impact our primary production has had on communities, we built a program that offers participants a platform to process and share their individual experiences using the unique storytelling model we created, weaving together personal narratives, music, and film. Each storyteller is supported by our Modern Warrior artistic team led by Dominick Farinacci, and culminates in a filmed live performance.

“Modern Warrior reminds veterans they are not victims and that they can use their experiences to grow and make significant contributions to society.”

The Honorable Anthony Principi

[US Secretary of Veterans Affairs 2001-2005]


WORK & REENTRY

We've well-established our organization within the veteran and mental health communities. As we've brought these stories to communities, we began to see through lines that connected veteran stories to returning citizens involved in the criminal justice system. Championing the belief that every individual, regardless of their past, has the capacity for growth, resilience, and redemption, we've expanded the program beyond veterans to include formerly incarcerated individuals.

 "Stigma often creates barriers to communication that leave so many of us feeling isolated and unable to share our struggles. In doing this, we risk further separating from the communities that can help us heal," says Jaymes Poling.

 "With the Modern Warrior EXPERIENCE program, we strive to tear down those barriers to communication, allowing individuals to share the unfiltered reality of their journey, and in doing so carve a path for others hoping for a better tomorrow," says Dominick Farinacci.

FILM SCREENING

We created a film adaptation of our Modern Warrior LIVE touring production, offered both in-person and via streaming.

KEY NOTE PRESENTATIONS

15-30 min adaptation of our full performance for conference & gala keynotes.

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR MENTAL WELLBEING ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Modern Warrior LIVE Creators

  • Musician Dominick Farinacci served as ambassador to Jazz at Lincoln from 2013-2015 in Doha, Qatar, working to further integrate music into communities around the world in culturally collaborative ways. He is a 2022 recipient of the Cleveland Arts Prize, an honor previously awarded to author Toni Morrison, and Cleveland Orchestra conductors George Szell and Franz Welser-Möst. Dominick graduated from The Juilliard School in 2005 launching his career in Japan with a prolific run of eight albums, later releasing four more globally. He has performed around the world and has been recognized by The New York Times as “a trumpeter of abundant poise.” He was a featured guest on ABC’s Good Morning America and is a TED Speaker. Dominick has been profiled in Vanity Fair, and music icon Quincy Jones says of Dominick’s accomplishments in performance, recording, education & advocacy, “This kid is 360 degrees!” 

    Dominick has been successful in his personal endeavors on bringing music into the community through Arts and Wellness & Education. He was invited by TED to be a TED Speaker at the 2014 TED MED conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. 

    Dominick is the director of the Tri-C JazzFest Academy, a year-round pre-college program of Cuyahoga Community College, housed at the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts in Cleveland, Ohio. His 2016 recording “Short Stories” was produced by four-time Grammy Award winning producer Tommy LiPuma, and features Jacob Collier, Christian McBride and Steve Gadd.  

    Dominick’s latest triple EP “Reflections” features a series of duo performances with acclaimed pianists such as Aaron Diehl, Dan Tepfer, Adam Birnbaum and Jonathan Thomas, and that EP has received more than 10 million streams to-date.

  • Jaymes Poling brings to Modern Warrior LIVE the fully immersed experience of a three-tour warrior with the 82nd Airborne in Afghanistan. Dealing with the memories of war, the loss of friends, and the isolation a combat veteran finds when leaving the military, Jaymes began to find through narrative arts and dynamic public speaking that the potential for growth can indeed follow adversity.

    Through education, writing, and public speaking, and now with the added layer of music, Jaymes came to recognize the universality of his journey which has evolved into a mission to bring to other veterans. He has engaged and interacted with military communities more than 120 times with Modern Warrior Live performances in schools, performing art centers, universities and even in a renowned prison, and now in a one-hour cinematic version. He’s also spoken about mental health challenges at home and at the front with thousands of active-duty soldiers in Afghanistan, through visits there with the Troops First Foundation.

    He says he wants – needs - to share his journey from isolation to healing, whether one-on-one, in a cohort of five veterans or in a concert hall seating 4,000.

    Jaymes grew up in Warren, Ohio, and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 17. He was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, North Carolina as an infantryman. During his eight years with the division, he spent three years fighting in Afghanistan as a Machine Gunner and Squad Leader. He earned a finance degree at John Carroll University in May 2018; he draws upon that knowledge and his armed forces experience in managing Modern Warrior’s nonprofit operations and business planning.

    His focus now: sharing his journey with members of the military community and partnering with organizations to help veterans find their own peace after war.

What People Are Saying

 

“One of the most moving, touching experiences regarding war that I’ve felt since returning from Vietnam 46 years ago!”

— Attendee

 

“Having lost my son to suicide, this performance brought me peace.”

— Attendee

“The show is like nothing else I've ever experienced; it is a genre unto its own. I was so entirely captivated by the interplay of the story with the music that I did not breathe for large sections of this performance.”


— Attendee

 

“Modern Warrior reminds veterans they are not victims and that they can use their experiences to grow and make significant contributions to society.”

— Anthony Principi, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (2001 - 2005)

Media & Sponsorship Inquires

programs@modernwarriorlive.org

Performances, Screenings & General Inquiries

please use the form in this section.