Modern Warrior Live

Created by internationally acclaimed jazz artist Dominick Farinacci, Modern Warrior LIVE brings a highly emotional musical performance together with the harrowing story of U.S. combat veteran Jaymes Poling’s experiences in war and his deeply personal process of transitioning back to civilian life. Narrated by Poling himself, who served three tours in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division, his story is brought to life through a moving collaboration with a cast of renowned musicians led by Farinacci – tracing the path from the battlefield to civilian life, highlighting the challenges of reintegration and the search for renewed purpose. Modern Warrior LIVE speaks to the universal themes of resilience, healing, and our human ability to overcome.

 

As of 2025, Modern Warrior LIVE programs have reached more than 40,000 individuals, have established dozens of partnerships with mental health and veteran organizations, and have connected more than 4,000 people in need to mental health resources. 75% of surveyed attendees and EXPERIENCE participants have said they are more likely to seek mental health support following a Modern Warrior LIVE event.

 

Dominick Farinacci – Born and raised in Cleveland, he was just 17 when one of his most important mentors, Wynton Marsalis, chose him to perform in a special program for PBS. While still a student in Juilliard’s inaugural class of jazz-studies majors, he hit the ground running as a recording artist and bandleader — first in Japan, where he released eight albums in short order, and later globally.

At Marsalis’ request, Farinacci spearheaded an outpost of Jazz at Lincoln Center in Doha, Qatar, from 2012 to 2016.

Farinacci’s interest in addressing trauma through art also informed Modern Warrior LIVE, a multidisciplinary touring work that combines first-person storytelling with film and the trumpeter’s innovative musical direction. Developed with U.S. Army veteran Jaymes Poling, who provides original narration, Modern Warrior LIVE chronicles the journey of the contemporary American veteran through multiple deployments and the complex process of readjusting to civilian life. General Jim Mattis called the project a “necessary and worthy mission paying our respects to all veterans and, by extension, to the Gold Star families.”

 

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.