Zuhal Sultan, the young Iraqi pianist who launched her campaign in the UK in early 2009 to start the first ever National Youth Orchestra of Iraq (NYOI), has now realised her dream with the opening of the orchestra’s summer school on 2 August 2009. Two weeks of intensive rehearsals, workshops and classes culminated in a public concert on the 16 August, held in Northern Iraq.
The NYOI was founded by Zuhal when she was just 17 years old. In spring 2009 she flew to London to make her debut in a concert at Wigmore Hall under the sponsorship of Fairsay and the British Council. Since then she has spent her time scouring her country for young musical talent, resulting in over 30 Iraqi musicians taking part in the summer program. The orchestra’s August debut included European and Iraqi orchestral works: Beethoven - Prometheus Overture, Ali Khassaf - Iraqi Melodies, Dr. M. Zaza Chakar - Kurdish Dances and Haydn - Symphony No. 99.
In addition to a two-week orchestral course, NYOI is offering courses in chamber music and conducting, as well as Master Classes for woodwinds and string players. Orchestral coaches from the USA and UK, including Lucy Wannell (violin), David Edmonds (cello), Jonathan Thomson (trumpet), Michael O'Donnell (oboe), and Lawrence O'Donnell (bassoon), have been on-hand to provide instruction for the Iraqi musicians.
Zuhal said: 'I want to unite young Iraqis from all over the country, who come from different ethnic and religious backgrounds and who have been separated from one another by the conflict. Through the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, I want to encourage our young people to establish a dialogue with one another in music, to realise that we have it within ourselves to be strong and creative and, most importantly, to celebrate our identity as Iraqi musicians together.'
Zuhal has gained the support of a variety of individuals and organisations across the globe. In Iraq the British Council is supporting the campaign alongside Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister, Barhem Salih, the UK-based charity Making Music, the U.S.-based non-profit Musicians For Harmony (whose founder, Allegra Klein, will serve as the NYOI’s Director of Education and Cultural Affairs) and Channel 4’s campaigning project, Battlefront.
Paul MacAlindin, NYOI’s Music Director has been working closely with Zuhal and was chosen because of his expertise in the field. Paul MacAlindin comments:
'Given the unique and innovative nature of the NYOI, we’ve been in at the deep end since the start. Finding people to believe in us was essential, and without the British Council’s support, this might never have happened. We’ve all transformed as a result of our steep learning curve. It just remains now to give the first downbeat on Monday and really let the orchestra take off.'
'A safe space to make music together – that’s all we want. Taking away the fear and the prejudice, the orchestra can experience the joy of Beethoven and Haydn and celebrate Iraqi composers. Playing chamber music together, we can concentrate on listening and enjoy silence. Learning to conduct, we can learn to lead. Then we’ll be able to share our music with everyone. It’s not a lot to ask for, and the return will be vast.'
NYOI also offers a distance learning program, which is an outgrowth of Musicians For Harmony’s Mentorship Program. Under this project, more than a dozen Iraqi music students have received one-to-one music tutoring online from artists throughout the UK and U.S.
Images top left:
Iraqi cellist in rehearsal for the debut performance / Scottish conductor Paul MacAlindin preparing Iraq’s National Youth Orchestra for their debut performance - both photos by Michael Luongo.
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland)
Our privacy and copyright statements.
Our commitment to freedom of information. Double-click for pop-up dictionary.
Open the original version of this page.
Usablenet Assistive is a UsableNet product. Usablenet Assistive Main Page.