Newsletter 2012 /

Transcription

1 Newsletter 2012 / 2013 P.O.BOX 943, Ramallah Palestine, Tel: (0) , facebook: Al Kamandjati, info@alkamndjati.org

2 A beautiful musical rhythm Dear friends, students, and teachers; We are pleased to meet you again in our newsletter for 2012/2013. During the year we welcomed our past and new students, as well as our teaching staff for the academic year. As the family of Al Kamandjâti expands, the activities, concerts, and the achievements grow. A year past so fast, and involved hard work and effort, and was accompanied by pleasure and music. A beautiful rhythm we never wish for it to end. In this newsletter we wish to remember and recall those moments we passed through, which were the accumulative effort of groups and individuals students, teachers, guest musicians, and administrators, as well as, the support of friends, partners, and organizations of this year s activities and events.

3 The 8 th baroque music festival 2012 Al Kamandjâti Association presented the 8th Baroque Music Festival from December 11th to 22nd 2012, under the theme Visit Palestine. The eighth traditional Baroque Music Festival came to conclude year 2012 s events and activities, and welcome the season of greetings and the coming New Year. Through its majestic and lively melodies passed from centuries, and in the place that survived for centuries, and carried everlasting cultures, languages, and history. The Baroque Festival hosted various international Baroque s Ensembles such as Concerto Soave and The King s cantors from France, Baladi Ensemble from Germany, as well as the yearly Baroque Ensemble which exceptionally included this year three Palestinian choirs: the Olive Branches Choir, Talitha Kumi Choir and Jerusalem Choir. Those ensembles performed 17 concerts in several Palestinian cities and villages such as Ramallah, Nablus, Bethlehem, Deir Ghassana, Jericho, Al tybeh, Al Zababdeh, Birzeit, Bethlehem, Jifna, Jerusalem and Gaza. Around 3000 persons attended the festival, confirming the pursuit of Al Kamandjati towards the dissemination of musical culture in all cities and villages of Palestine.

4 The 8 th music days festival 2013 Since 8 years now, Al Kamandjâti Association is organizing the Music Days Festival with the aim to spread music everywhere in Palestine, especially in places where it is difficult for people to attend live music events in general. The specificity of this festival, is not only that it covers around 15 different cities/villages/camps all around Palestine, where music and culture are still quite absent, but it also reaches locations where it is usually difficult for people to attend live concerts, such as centers for handicapped and disabled persons, for retired people, charity associations as well as more conventional concert halls. The locations reached were: Jenin, Kofr Rai, Yammoun, Tulkarem, Qalqilia, Sabastia, Nablus, Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jerusalem, refugee camps of Balata, Al Amari, Jalazon, Qalandiah, and finally Gaza, as well as Beirut. 45 concerts took place this year, with around 5300 persons attending the whole festival, persons from the above mentioned locations, who, for the majority, would or could hardly have attended live music concerts otherwise. 10 different bands took part in the event, performing several styles (classical Arabic music, classical western music, pop, rock, jazz, afro-oriental), involving and mixing around 100 professional, amateur and students.

5 Al Kamandjâti in lebanon In parallel of their music education program running since 2008 and provided in Beit Aftal Al Sumud centers in Bourj al Barajneh and Chatila camps, the 45 AK students performed several concerts during the year, taking part to the social and cultural life in Lebanon. A special concert was performed on the 24 of March 2013 in Burj Al Barajnah and Shatila camps on the occasion of the Mother s Day, where around one hundred mothers from nearby camps and villages attended. The students also performed at the UNESCO-Palace Beirut quarter on May 10th, 2013 with around 1000 persons attending. Finally, the students in Lebanon where also part of the Music Days Festival organized by the French consulate in Beirut, and performed on the 21 of June at Al Zaitunay Bay, which constituted a great recognition and achievement for them.

6 Al Kamandjâti in france The presence of the association in France enables AK to help and support its students there (administrative papers, lodging, enrollments, and any other requested issue). Moreover, the association organizes and takes part to several cultural events linked to Palestine in France, such as a concert in Théâtre des Dames in Ponts de Cé on 21/09/2012, Nuits Metissées on 25/11/2012, a presentation in Bergson school (Angers) on 18/10/2012. And as every year, the association organized the festival Musiciens pour la Palestine in Angers on 13th February 2013, with the support of several music bands, such as Sanseverino, Médine and Flavia Coelho. The festival was also the opportunity for the association to release the CD compilation of the 10 years of the festival, gathering some of the groups that supported the festival since its creation in Al Kamandjati active participation to the palestinian cultural scene Al Kamandjâti is regularly solicited to take part to social and cultural events in Palestine and abroad, and some of them were: An evening in Jenin dedicated to the Palestinian poet Samih Al-Qasim, in the presence of nearly 1,000 persons; The celebration of the Mahmoud Darwish Award, in collaboration with Mahmud Darwish Foundation and Museum, at Al-Najah University (Nablus), with the presence of around 800 persons; The National Reading Week in cooperation with the municipality of Jenin, in April; The 30th anniversary of the WELFARE Association in the Ramallah Cultural Palace.

7 Ongoing students concerts through the academic year 2012/ 2013 As accustomed in Al Kamandjâti association, students monthly concerts are held through the academic year. Concerts are organized for students of the western, oriental and Jazz departments as part of the educational system of the school, and in order to encourage and support the artistic and moral growth of the students. Over 15 concerts were held this year, presented by Al Kamandjâti students in Ramallah, Jenin, Deir Ghassana, the camps of Al Amari, Qalandia, Jalzone in Palestine, beside the Camps of Burj Al barajnah and Shatilla in Lebanon. Those concerts are generally marked by the attendance of students families, friends, and teachers; regular audiences where they witness firsthand the ongoing progress and development of students.

8 AK students abroad Two AK students returned to homeland this year after they completed their university studies abroad for a period of four years. Montaser Jebrini, clarinet player, left France to come back and teach in Al Kamandjâti Association. Shehadeh Shalaldah, one of the first Palestinian string instruments makers and repairers, returned from UK to open the first workshop for the manufacture and maintenance of string instruments beside AK Association (old city of Ramallah). Music cultural exchange Palestine Germany In collaboration with Orchestra Of Bavaria, and with the support of the Goethe Institute (among others), eleven students from AK joined 70 musicians (professionals and students) to participate in a common musical workshop for 10 days in Germany. They rehearsed together before performing several concerts there, as well as an ending ceremony with a wide audience, including the Palestinian attaché. Opening of t wo workshops for string instruments and piano making and repairing AK sponsored the opening of two workshops: one for piano repairing and tuning, supervised by Sameh As ad; and another one for string instruments making and repairing, supervised by Shehadeh Shalaldah. It is worth mentioning that Sameh As ad finished his studies in piano repairing and tuning in several Arab and European countries. Either Shalaldah has finished his diploma of string instruments making and repairing from NEWARK COLLEGE University in the summer of Both workshops are located near Al Kamandjati Association (Ramallah downtown) and are fully equipped to repair and tune the instruments, as well as to make new string instruments.

9 Al Kamandjâti music program in UNRWA schools A closing ceremony was held in Ramallah Cultural Palace on 26/01/2013 to celebrate the end of the project Music Bridges Palestine, Italy and France, as well as to thank and express gratitude towards all stakeholders in the project, such as the UNRWA education department, UNRWA schools, principals and teachers, Terre des Hommes Italy and the European Commission, in addition to the Child Clubs in Al Amari and Jalazon refugee camps and the Women Center in Qalandia camp. The aim of the project was to increase awareness and access to music for children (1st to 3rd grades) from the 3 above mentioned refugee camps, through the integration of weekly general music lessons in the normal curricula of those students, as well as the teaching of instruments in the community centers of those camps. And in order to grant a better implementation of this program, AK trained the concerned UNRWA teachers, as well as came up with 2 musical toolkits for the use of those teachers: one in order to teach general music lessons, and the other to use music as a pedagogical tool for the teaching of the other school subjects. The visit of the minister of culture on 8/7/2013 Al Kamandjati Association hosted the new Palestinian Minister of Culture, Dr. Anwar Abu Aisha, in his center in Jenin. AK students performed a concert for him and for some of his colleagues from the Ramallah and Jenin offices who were accompanying him. He thanked AK team for his efforts to increase access and develop music culture within the Palestinian society. Al Kamandjâti is more than honored to have received a generous donation of 6 violins from Bisharat family. Those violins have been made by M. Maurice Hanna Bisharat, who had never played the violin or learned how. M. Bisharat was Palestinian and immigrated to the USA at 26, where he became surgeon and a psychiatrist. After his death, his children decided to give some of the violins to the association. They are currently being refreshed by the association before being borrowed to some of the students

10 Launching tour for the CD Muashahatuna / Palestine National Ensemble of Arabic Music Al Kamandjati association organized a launching tour for the CD Muashahatuna for the Palestine National Ensemble of Arabic Music in November The CD and tour were supported, among others, by A.M. Qattan Foundation, the European Commission, Riwaq and Culture Resource (Al Mawred Al Thaqafy). The concerts took place on 4/11/12 in the Ramallah Cultural Palace, on 5/11/12 in the Prince Turki bin Abdul Aziz hall (Al-Najah University / Nablus), and on 6/11/12 in Deir Ghassana. On 21/01/2013, the Ensemble also performed in Qareen 19th Cultural Festival in Kuwait, where people enjoyed a lot listening to classical Arabic and Palestinian music. And finally, the last performance took place on 12/7/2013, in the framework of Horizon Mediterrannée Festival, in Narbonne (France).

11 Summer Camp 2013 After the completion of the eighth music days festival Al Kamandjâti organized the 7th annual summer camp at the Episcopal Institute for Training and Technology, in Al Tireh, in the period between 2 nd -8 th July.85 students and teachers took part to it. During the camp, the activities were focused on ensemble and group work. Some of the provided workshops were about oriental music, Greek music, orchestra conducting, rhythm, composition. The particularity of this year camp was that the less advanced students were given the opportunity to take part in the camp (whereas it was more dedicated to the advanced ones during the last years). The camp is the opportunity for all students to experiment music in a more social way, to improve a lot, thanks also to the opportunity to work with great professional musicians coming from all around the world (France, Italy, Belgium, UK, USA ). Activities in the refugee camps Thanks to a strong effort and combined energies during the whole year, great artistic and musical improvements have been achieved by the students of Al Amari, Qalandiah and Jalazon refugee camps. Some of them are the increasing number of concerts performed by those students, the improvement of the level of the students which enabled the creation of an oriental ensemble, the improvement of the camps orchestra, which performed a concert in the framework of the Music Days Festival. Moreover, in the framework of the project Music Bridges, Palestine, Italy and France mentioned above and coimplemented by AK and Terre des Hommes Italy, and co-funded by the European Commission, a choir has been created, constituted by children from the 3 camps. This choir recorded a CD titled Sing, Cantiamo, Chantez, that gathers Palestinian children songs performed by those students, as well as Italian and French children songs.

12 Thank you The A.M. Qattan Foundation, Drosos Foundation, the General Consulate of France in Jerusalem and all French Institutes in Palestine, Prince Claus Fund, the Goethe-Institute in Ramallah, SIDA (as part of the PAN program), the European Commission, Terre des Hommes Italy, Ramallah Municipality, the Conseil General du Maine et Loire, Cuthbert Horn Trust, the ULYP, Ms.Wendy Cook, Ms. Miriam Stock, Ms.Laila Qattan, Music fund, ITEMM, Alwan for the arts, the Welfare Association, UNRWA, Beit Atfal al Sumud, Mahmoud Darwish Foundation, Alfred Toepfer Stiftung F.V.S., Talitha Kumi School, Toulouse Municipality, Paris Municipality, Belfort Municipality, the French Institute, Wataniya Mobile, National Beverage Company Coca Cola- Cappy, Palestine TV, Raya FM, Riwaq-Center for Architectural Conservation, Darna Restaurant, Zeit o Zatar,jerusalem hotel and all the other partner organizations/institutions with whom we collaborated during the year; as well as our faculty members, students, parents and all guest musicians from everywhere.