Our Goals. The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music Palestine. Vision

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2 Our Goals Vision To encourage a lively and creative musical culture in every home, that will contribute towards the consolidation of Palestinian identity, and the education of future generations. Mission The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music Palestine Music reflects the soul of a nation; it expresses its hopes and pains, its dreams and its tribulations. Through music people of varied languages and cultures are able to communicate and unite in their shared humanity. Background In 1990, five Palestinian musicians and music teachers conducted a study on the status of music in Palestine upon a request by the Welfare Association. The preliminary findings of the study convinced the team that there was an urgent need to establish a music school, to fill the huge gap in music education within the Palestinian society. In 1993, after three years of concerted efforts by these musicians, and with the support and encouragement of a number of friends, the Conservatory was launched as the National Conservatory of Music under the umbrella of the Board of Trustees of Birzeit University, who appointed the following founders to the Supervisory Board at the Conservatory: Salwa Tabri, Rima Tarazi, Amin Nasser, Nadia Abboushi and Suhail Khoury. In October of that year, the first branch of the Conservatory opened in Ramallah with 40 students, three part-time teachers, a secretary, and a volunteer director, co-founder, Amin Nasser. A few years later, the Conservatory opened two other branches in Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and in the summer of 2010, the Nablus branch was launched. In September 2004, as a tribute to the invaluable intellectual and cultural contributions to humanity of the late Dr. Edward Said, an honorary member of the Board, the name of the Conservatory was officially changed to The Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. Teaching music and delivering musical performances music to all Palestinians, wherever they are, within the framework of strengthening the cultural and national identity of Palestine. Goals Providing the Palestinian society with creative and committed musicians capable of teaching music and promoting it. Encouraging and enhancing music appreciation and interest amongst the general public and official spheres. Upgrading the ESNCM s performance towards fulfilling its vision, mission and sustainability. Management The ESNCM is overseen by a Supervisory Board, which approves development plans, annual budgets and regulations. The ESNCM has a central administration headed by the general director, and branch administrations headed by the directors of individual branches. A centralized academic board sets the academic policy of the Conservatory, which is reviewed on a yearly basis. Admission Students of six years of age and above may be admitted to the ESNCM after taking a simple exam to assess their musical aptitude; around 90% of the applicants get admitted. Scholarship program The ESNCM has an extensive scholarship program to encourage talented students with limited financial capabilities to pursue their music education, benefiting over 50% of the student body.

3 Academic Program The ESNCM offers two programs of study the regular program, and one for amateurs. The Regular Program The music program of study at the ESNCM has been designed to give regular students a broadly structured instrumental and theoretical musical education. It consists of three levels: the Preparatory Level (not mandatory), the Elementary and the Intermediate level. After completing the three levels successfully, students are at a musical level that equips them to pursue competitive auditions for admission to university music programs or higher academies of music. The regular eight-year grade program consists of training in a Western or Arabic instrument. It also includes theory and ear training, alongside history and appreciation of Arabic, classical, jazz and world music. Each grade may be completed in a maximum of 20 months. The program also emphasizes group playing, choirs, and various ensembles performing Arabic and Western Classical music. The program is set up in a manner to give students a broad education in both Arabic and Western music cultures. The Amateur Program Private lessons are also offered to amateurs and music lovers without having to comply with the regular curriculum or to sit in for exams. In some cases amateur students may register for group courses, subject to the approval of the teacher of the course, and provided the student is at a level at which he/she could benefit from it. Students in the amateur program do not get credit or certificates for classes and courses that they have attended. Activities Residential Camps The ESNCM organizes an annual 10-day summer camp in July at the Activities Centre in Birzeit, 12 kilometers northwest of Ramallah. The project mainly targets promising ESNCM students between the ages of 9 and 25, whose academic and performance achivements show the potential to become musicians in the future. ESNCM students are often joined by students from other conservatories in Palestine and the occupied Golan Heights, as well as students from the ESNCM s outreach programs and participants from international partner institutes. Workshops During the course of the academic year, professional guest musicians come to Palestine and spend around 10 days with students from the ESNCM in the four branches, offering master classes and workshops to students on various instruments. Visiting musicians also give public performances throughout Palestine. International Camps Each year, the ESNCM receives invitations for its students to participate in music camps and projects in Europe, North America and further afield. Students are recommended by their teachers, branch directors or the general director, and are assessed upon their return. Outreach The ESNCM develops and enhances the musical life in Palestine by initiating musical education programs all year round that reach children and youth in their own environment and communities.

4 Concert seasons and Musical productions In 1998, the ESNCM launched its autumn and spring musical seasons, showcasing a variety of classical and Arabic music, performed by prominent musicians and students. In 2009, the Autumn Season evolved into the Layali Al Tarab fi Quds al Arab festival, in which many forms of Arabic music were performed, and in 2011, the Spring Season was transformed into the eclectic Jasmine Festival, offering a variety of musical experiences. These two festivals are designated to remain two distinctive annual and biannual events, which will promote performances in several Palestinian cities, towns and villages, contributing to the enrichment of the musical life in Palestine, and strengthening the Palestinian popular movement towards art and music. The Palestine National Music Competition Launched in 2001, in the name of an outstanding musician and great friend of the ESNCM Marcel Khalife who generously donated the prize money he received in 1999 from the Palestinian Authority to the Conservatory, the National Competition of Music began as an internal competition for students studying at the different ESNCM branches. In 2006 the competition expanded its scope to become a national competition held every two years, open to instrumentalists from all over the occupied territories, including Gaza, the Golan, and Palestinians living within the Green line. A milestone was achieved in 2006, when the competition took place in Jerusalem, a city forbidden to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza who were, nevertheless, able to participate through video facilities, and the same year, an Arabic vocal section for soloists was added to the competition. In 2010, Marcel Khalifeh introduced composition as a new category in the competition, supervising the event, and participating as a member of the jury for that category. The Marcel Khalifeh prize, as it is named, aims at rewarding and motivating young creative Palestinian composers. Members of the jury in the National Music Competition include both local as well as international musicians from several countries including South Africa, the U.S.A., Ireland, the UK, Spain, Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland and Jordan. Orchestras The ESNCM has several orchestras and ensembles ranging from beginner ensembles instructed by ESNCM staff to professional level orchestras. Members of The Palestine National Orchestra (PNO) launched on the New Year of 2011 are mostly professional musicians of Palestinian origin, living both within Palestine, and across the world. They are joined by a number of professional musicians working as instrumental teachers in Palestine, and rehearsed for the first time at the end of 2010, to form the first professional Palestinian Orchestra. As many of the musicians hold positions with leading music groups around the world, the PNO will continue to hold performances once a year until it becomes firmly established in Palestine. The Palestine Youth Orchestra (PYO) is an orchestra of advanced students and young professional musicians who meet annually for intensive workshops and concert tours, coached by leading professional musicians and conducted by internationally renowned conductors. The PYO has toured in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Bahrain and Germany, and makes a special effort to promote new and old music by Arabic composers. On a more local level, the mixed student and teacher ESNCM Orchestra performs a range of mainstream classical repertoire and Arabic music arranged for orchestra, while the ESNCM Wind Band and the beginner level Jerusalem Orchestra, rehearse throughout the year giving regular concerts in Palestinian towns and cities. In 2009, a new string group was formed: the Palestine Strings, a sixteen-member ensemble of young violin and viola students who will perform a specially choreographed performance, touring the USA in the summer of Several students and teachers also form chamber music groups that rehearse and perform throughout the academic year at branch concerts and festivals produced by the ESNCM. Groups and Choirs The ESNCM is constantly forming new ensembles and choirs of different musical genres. The groups are formed from students and teachers of the ESNCM and they often perform locally in the concert series organized by the ESNCM or upon invitation from other cultural organizations in Palestine and abroad. Among the most prominent groups are: Oriental Music Ensemble, Jerusalem Arabic Music Ensemble, Bethlehem Arabic Music Ensemble, Turath Ramallah, Maqamat Al-Quds, ESNCM Arabic Music Choir Awj, Shams Children s Choir.

5 Production Unit The Production unit at the ESNCM aims to produce high quality recordings for Palestinian musicians; from the ESNCM and further afield. These productions have a marked educational value for ESNCM students and the general public. Mostly pressed in the form of CDs, the recordings have come to fill a huge gap in the local market, as there is a major lack of music production in Palestine, which has become primarily a pirated market of commercial music. To date, the ESNCM has produced eight albums. The productions are: Jerusalem After Midnight A collection of compositions by Suhail Khoury, released in 2009, arranged by Ahmad al Khatib. Eight pieces are inspired by intense living experiences of the composer over a period of ten years. The recording features four musicians from Palestinian and two internationals. Until When Music, Lyrics & Piano Accompaniment by Palestinian composer Rima Nasir Tarazi featuring the soprano Tania Tamari Nassir. This is a collection of songs expressing the pains and hopes of the Palestinian people and a live testimony to their sufferings and resilience as experienced by the composer. The album was Launched in Sada Palestinian Sounds Palestinian Sounds is the first of its kind to provide a profile of contemporary Palestinian music. It features a spectrum of musical production by Palestinian musicians and groups in Palestine and the Diaspora since Palestinian Sounds includes 16 tracks from 13 different Palestinian artists, and was produced jointly with Yabous Productions in Jerusalem. Karloma Karloma, the second production of the ESNCM, features another group from the Conservatory, which brings together teachers from both the oriental and western music departments, to produce a unique interpretation of Arabic and oriental music. For more information, visit Karloma's website at Emm el Khilkhal Emm el Khilkhal is an album by the Oriental Music Ensemble, which is comprised of the Oriental Music Department teachers at the ESNCM, and this was the first of a series of CD s to be produced by the ESNCM. The CD contains Arabic and oriental classical music. Al-Fawanees CD & DVD This production was a landmark in the cultural life of Palestine. It crowned the harmonious combination of artistic talents and skills in the various genres with superb performances acclaimed with standing ovations in each of the eight performances held at the Ramallah Cultural Palace in August Suhail Khoury s tunes, are set to Waseem Al Kurdi s lyrics, and based on Ghassan Kanafani s children s story the Little Lantern. The 28 songs were sung by the Children s choir of the ESNCM, Shams, trained by Hania Soudhah and accompanied by the Young Sound Forum of Central Europe Orchestra, accompanied by Palestinian instrumentalists and conducted by Christoph Alstaedt. A team of local and international professional artists were engaged by the ESNCM to make this musical come to life. In 2009, the ESNCM produced al-fawanees music CD, and performance DVD. Ahmad Al-Khatib s Solo Oud CD was released in May 2005, the first solo oud recording from this renowned Palestinian composer and oud player. The CD is a compilation of nine pieces composed while Ahmad was living in Ramallah, Palestine, during the invasion of that city in Bass Shwai Released in 2003, Bass Shwai was the first children's CD produced by the ESNCM. It features four children, ages 9 to 11 (one boy and three girls), singing 12 songs composed by Suhail Khoury with lyrics written by various Palestinian poets and writers. Each song deals with a theme relating to children.

6 Publication Unit The publication unit at the ESNCM is continually engaged in publishing new books that will help students, teachers and musicians in Palestine and in the Arab world study and enjoy music. Professional musicians compile and edit books on various subjects ranging from teaching methods to collections of (Palestinian/Arabic) music literature. These books are on sale in various bookshops throughout Palestine and the ESNCM branches in Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Nablus. Sounds Around Us The first method in the Arabic language for teaching applied music theory to children. This method includes basic and intermediate principles of music theory and extensive practice in ear-training skills. It consists of a series of five books to cover the required courses in music theory, written by Dr. Adriana Ponce, Habib Shihadeh and Hania Soudah Sabbara. Sharqiyat Sharqiyat is an anthology of oriental music pieces mostly transcribed from original recordings and categorized according to the technical difficulty of the pieces. These pieces are categorized for the eight examination levels at the ESNCM plus a preparatory level. This classified anthology is published as a series of four books which are used by ESNCM students for their examinations. The pieces are transcribed and edited by Ahmad Al Khatib. Let s Play ( Hayya Na zef ) Let s Play Hayya Na zef 40 Arabic melodies for the piano, is a book of popular Arabic tunes and songs arranged for beginner level piano students. The book, arranged by Dia Rishmawi, serves as a tool to introduce the piano, to young Palestinian and Arab piano students in a culture-friendly manner. The book includes colored illustrations representing the themes of the songs. Aghanina ( Our songs ) A collection of Arabic songs that are central to music education in all Arab schools. They are chosen for their cultural and musical value, and are selected from traditional, national and contemporary popular genres. The songs are arranged according to graded class levels, and are provided alongside analyses of the maqams and rhythmic motifs. The book with accompanying CD is edited and presented by Issa Boulos. Publications of the Forum of Arabic Music conservatories A series of instrumental pieces by contemporary Arab musicians, annotated and edited by Ahmad Khatib, and supervised by Suhail Khoury. Composers represented in the series are: Ahmad Khatib, Shirbel Rohana, Khaled Muhammad Ali, Saed Sharibi and Issa Boulos. 12 Pieces for Piano by Ramzi Rihan This publication is the first volume in a series featuring works by Palestinian Composers. It includes 12 pieces by the Palestinian composer and Birzeit University physics lecturer, Ramzi Rihan, among them Contrasts, a work from the 1950s with which Ramzi won a scholarship to the Los Angeles Conservatory s composition program. Five-Year Program Plan (2009/ /2016) Academic programs To continue and develop the academic programs of the four branches of Jerusalem, Ramallah, Bethlehem and Nablus and the outreach programs in Toubas, Salfit and other areas. To open new branches in Jericho, Gaza and Hebron. To launch the BA program in music education and Arabic Music at Birzeit University. Activities To hold the biennial national music competition. To hold the annual Arabic Music Festival and the Spring Music Festivals. To organize a variety of musical performances and tours by the ESNCM orchestras, Arabic music and other ensembles. To hold the annual summer camps for the PYO and other teaching camps and workshops during the year. To launch the Palestinian National Orchestra in a number of venues. To continue producing new CDs and publications that would enrich the curriculum of the ESNCM students. ESNCM premises To complete the construction of the Bethlehem and Ramallah branches and the renovation of the Shihabi building in Jerusalem. Administration To develop the skills of the administrative staff in the various branches by training and various other means. To computerize student registration. To develop and expand the library. To acquire additional musical instruments and educational tools for the benefit of the students. To develop sources of income through strengthening the network of friends and relationships with the public in general. To continue issuing the ESNCM news letter. Establishing a Music Radio station.

7 Governing Board Board of trustees of Birzeit University Dr. Hanna Nasir Chairperson Dr. Suad Amiry-Vice chairperson Ms. Joyce Ajlouny-Secretary Ms. Saba' Arafat Mrs. Nahla Assali Dr. Gabi Baramki Mr. Iyad Joudeh Dr. Khalil Hindi Mr. Bassim Khoury Mr. Riziq Khoury Mrs. Samia Khoury Mr. Iyad Masrouji Mr. Ayoub Rabah Mr. Anton Saad Mr. Abdul Jawad Saleh Mrs. Rima Tarazi Supervisory Board Rima Tarazi, Chairperson Suhail Khoury, General Director Abla Nasir Bassem Khoury Gabi Baramki Ghassan Mustaklem Lena Saleh Nadia Abboushi Osama Amr Salwa Tabri Simon Kuba Zakaria Mohammad The Founders Salwa Tabri Rima Tarazi Amin Nasser Nadia Abboushi Suhail Khoury Honorary Board Basem Hishmeh Edward Karkar Diana Takieddine Leila Shaheed Mamdouh Aker Marcel Khalife Munther Nabulsi Said Khoury Simon Shaheen Tania Nasser Tania Sufeir Zahi Khouri Jerusalem, 11 Azzahra st. Shihabi building Tel: Fax: ncm.birzeit.edu