If you had to use one word to describe Iraq, what would you say? Oil, Saddam Hussein, American Soldiers, Unsafe, Must visit? These would just be some of the apparent words that would feature in ones thinking process. However would one think of an orchestra? An orchestra which was founded by a 17yr old Iraqi girl does not seem to fit into the frame when one defines ‘Iraq.’
In 2008, Zuhal Sultan, an Iraqi student from Baghdad, decided to begin a National Youth Orchestra, which brought about 33 young musicians from all over the war-torn country to create a symphony. In the chaos that descended on her native Baghdad, as the war began in 2003, Zuhal experienced little in the way of a normal childhood. She was a scholarship student at the once prestigious Baghdad Music and Ballet School, which was on the brink of collapsing. The reputation and existence of the school was rapidly declining as most of the teachers fled the country in fear of being killed. Being seen with an instrument on the roads of Baghdad was seen as a sign of Western Culture and could prove dangerous for one’s survival. In the absence of a strong staff, it was Zuhal and her classmates who managed to keep the school alive.
It was this inability to learn peacefully, that drove her into beginning the National Youth Orchestra. It was through the social networking site Twitter, through which Zuhal was able to contact the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq at that time, Barham Salih. After a meeting arrangement was made, Zuhal managed to convince him about the need of expressing thoughts of peace through music, which made him offer her a sum of US & 50,000 as seed money for the orchestra.
The Musicians for Harmony Foundation, launched by Allegra Klein shortly after September 11th 2001, also played an important role in financing the National Youth Orchestra. Zuhal Sultan had helped them start their Mentorship program and in-turn they helped her spread awareness and finance the Youth Orchestra.
Then came the challenge of finding an instructor who was experienced as well as willing to teach students in Iraq. After advertising in newspapers, and approaching various councils, the British Council managed to draw the attention of Paul MacAlindin, a Scottish conductor living in Cologne, Germany. As he read the headlines in a newspaper which said 'Teenagers from Iraq are looking for a conductor for their orchestra,' he claimed that he immediately knew he would be the man for the job. In 2009, he decided to run a test phase of the project, and together he and Zuhal through means of You tube, and travelling Iraq, created a multi-cultural and multi-religious orchestra comprising of Kurds, Arabs, Christians, and Muslims. The Kurdish people had faced heavy repression under Saddam Hussein's regime, while tensions between the various ethnic and religious groups within Iraq had grown since the start of the war in 2003. The bringing in of the orchestra made the concept of ‘peace and survival as a team’ more plausible.
Most of the students were self taught and had gained their skills by way of reading websites and learning to play online. Paul MacAldin stated that the youthful pleasure of making music was missing in the students due to the harsh conditions they were living in. His aim was to ensure that the workshops would prove music could help the young players overcome the traumas of the war while also easing some of the tensions amongst the various ethnic groups in the orchestra.
Zohal’s dream finally turned into reality on 2nd August 2009 when the ‘test’ summer program finally became an official one. Two weeks of intensive rehearsals, workshops and classes culminated in a public concert on 16th August, held in Northern Iraq. As MacAldin would conduct, he said that he relied on two translators at his side who would repeat his words in Kurdish and Arabic.
Apart from the two-week orchestral course, The National Youth orchestra also began to offer courses in conducting, chamber music, and Master classes for woodwinds and string players. Several willing coaches were brought in from USA and UK. The August debut of the orchestra included European and Iraqi orchestral works such as: Beethoven- Prometheus Overture, Ali Khassaf- Iraqi Melodies, Dr.M.Zaza Chakar- Kurdish Dances and Haydn- Symphony No.99.
Taking into account the political and security situation, the support of the Kurdish Government and the British Council was imperative for the success of the program. Following the overwhelming success and given the high level of motivation amongst the students, a second working session was organized for the summer of 2010 in Erbil, Northern Iraq. This attracted widespread national and international interest.
In 2011, the orchestra got the opportunity to play abroad at the Beethovenfest in Bonn. This took place due to the fact that the festival had decided to sponsor an ensemble from a crisis region. The crucial factor in choosing the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq to play was due to the private, and dedicated commitment of the teachers, organizers, and students along with the favorable social and political outlook for the country. In honor of the trip, two works were commissioned for the group, one by an Iraqi Arab composer and another by an Iraqi Kurd.
This year, the group will be performing in the Edinburgh Festival. MacAlindin stated that it was still too dangerous for them to play in Baghdad, but he hoped for a concert in the Iraqi capital within a year or two.
Another major accomplishment achieved by the Youth Orchestra has been its ‘Distance Learning Program.’ The program which is an outgrowth of the Mentorship Program started by Musicians for Harmony, has enabled students to pair with music tutors in the U.S. and Europe. The visionary Mentorship Program, recently referenced in The Wall Street Journal, is seen as a landmark initiative, marking the first time that American and British musicians are teaching Iraqi students via webcam/ Skype.
The Youth Orchestra of Iraq has enabled there to exist a dialogue established through music, creating a strong and identifiable bond as ‘Iraqi Musicians,’ and not people from different parts of a war-torn country. Creating a strong base for music to be learnt and felt in a suppressed region is the long term goal of the Orchestra. Ending with a quote said by conductor MacAldin, seems to be the apt way to end an un-ending success story-
“'A safe space to make music together – that’s all we want. Playing together, we can concentrate on listening and hence, enjoy silence. Learning to conduct, we can learn to lead. It is through this that we will be able to share our music with everyone.”
ZAHRA AMIRUDDIN-3742
Perhaps you could clarify how much money Musicians for Harmony raised for NYOI back in 2009? I'm not aware of any, and I was on that team for setting the orchestra up. I would also be grateful if you had spoken to me, so you could at least spell my name correctly. Paul MacAlindin
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