Palestine National Orchestra makes debut in Israel
War stricken Palestine has made a musical come back with the launch of its ever National Orchestra in Israel.
HAIFA:
War stricken Palestine has made a musical come back with the launch of its ever National Orchestra. The performance is an inspirational duet reflective of the Palestinian struggle that aims to revive patriotic spirit and embellish natives with an internal sense of pride.
The Palestine National Orchestra made its debut in occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and the Israeli city of Haifa under the banner of Today an Orchestra, Tomorrow a State.
The 40-member orchestra launched its inaugural tour on Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah and moved on to east Jerusalem on the next day with a final performance on Sunday night at Haifa, which manifests the largest Arab Israeli community in the region.
Suhail Khoury, director of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music named after the US-Palestinian intellectual who died in 2003, wrote in the entire program.
“Today we are witnessing the birth of the Palestine National Orchestra at a time when the Palestinian struggle for independence is passing through one of its most critical and difficult moments,” Khoury wrote.
“We musicians truly believe that a state is not only about buildings and roads, but most importantly it is about its people, their values, their arts and their cumulative cultural identity.”
Khoury felt such concerts are an inspiration and a reminder of times to change that inculcate hope in the famished lives of the Palestinians. “For several years to come, be a one-time annual event until this orchestra will eventually become a full-fledged, full-time orchestra that will establish grounds in a free Palestine,” said Khoury.
The orchestra lit hearts before a full house and an enthusiastic audience, playing the concertos by Mozart and Gyorgy Ligeti as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No 4. Interestingly enough, the orchestra inaugurated each ceremony with the Palestine National Anthem to reinforce their struggle statement.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th 2011.
War stricken Palestine has made a musical come back with the launch of its ever National Orchestra. The performance is an inspirational duet reflective of the Palestinian struggle that aims to revive patriotic spirit and embellish natives with an internal sense of pride.
The Palestine National Orchestra made its debut in occupied West Bank, annexed east Jerusalem and the Israeli city of Haifa under the banner of Today an Orchestra, Tomorrow a State.
The 40-member orchestra launched its inaugural tour on Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah and moved on to east Jerusalem on the next day with a final performance on Sunday night at Haifa, which manifests the largest Arab Israeli community in the region.
Suhail Khoury, director of the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music named after the US-Palestinian intellectual who died in 2003, wrote in the entire program.
“Today we are witnessing the birth of the Palestine National Orchestra at a time when the Palestinian struggle for independence is passing through one of its most critical and difficult moments,” Khoury wrote.
“We musicians truly believe that a state is not only about buildings and roads, but most importantly it is about its people, their values, their arts and their cumulative cultural identity.”
Khoury felt such concerts are an inspiration and a reminder of times to change that inculcate hope in the famished lives of the Palestinians. “For several years to come, be a one-time annual event until this orchestra will eventually become a full-fledged, full-time orchestra that will establish grounds in a free Palestine,” said Khoury.
The orchestra lit hearts before a full house and an enthusiastic audience, playing the concertos by Mozart and Gyorgy Ligeti as well as Beethoven’s Symphony No 4. Interestingly enough, the orchestra inaugurated each ceremony with the Palestine National Anthem to reinforce their struggle statement.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 4th 2011.