In Iraq, the Symphony Orchestra Plays On

The Wall Street Journal ^ | March 27, 2008 | MELIK KAYLAN

[MaestroLC]

Karim Wasfi, age 36, arrives driving a white Range Rover and dressed in a blazer, vest and ascot. [...] Mr. Wasfi has held that post at the Iraq National Symphony Orchestra since 2004, through the darkest of times [...]

"In the car, I also listen to the Saint-Saëns requiem and the Mozart requiem -- that's usually the right mood for Baghdad," says Mr. Wasfi, in his cultivated English, as the checkpoint militias gape incredulously and wave us on. He has lost count of the times he has just missed being caught in a bomb blast or a firefight. "I vary my route to work -- which I think may be more dangerous. In '06 I had to leave town and disappear for six months for my safety, but we still kept going -- I organized two concerts from afar. . . . At one point, I had to tactfully get a formal religious proclamation from a top cleric that music was not profane. That took care of one group only. Still, these days, it's certainly better than it was -- I'm trying to up the concerts to twice a month, but that includes a lot of chamber performances which I initiated some months ago," he says.

"At the very least, the audience must know for sure that somewhere in the city there will be a concert on the last Saturday of every month," says Mr. Wasfi, who is also co-conductor with Mohammed Amin Ezzat. "Then we give out the location in the last moment, for security. We do it by email, word-of-mouth, phone calls -- I tell everyone I know. Even then, many hundreds turn up, depending on the place. That's our problem: We don't have a regular home. Well . . . one of our problems."

[MaestroLC]

This orchestra director is an inspiration. Amazing how Lorin Maazel and the New York Philharmonic find time and money to play for a tyrant in North Korea, but ignore this orchestra and brave music director in their hour of need. American orchestras, cities, communities should be finding ways to help and give direct investments and donations for this type of situation. This is the kind of cause that makes a REAL difference in the lives of people in the world, not playing for tyrants.

[sitetest]

Classical Music Ping List ping!

If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.

Thanks,

sitetest

[sitetest]

Dear MaestroLC,

Thanks for posting this!

Classical Music Ping List ping!

If you want on or off this list, let me know via FR e-mail.

Thanks,

sitetest

[the invisib1e hand]

He has lost count of the times he has just missed being caught in a bomb blast or a firefight.

Hillary can relate.

[tobyhill]

The way the MSM portrays life in Iraq I thought everyone was blowed up?

[nuconvert]

http://blog.esaba.com/projects/catphotos/catimagessimple2/1097629.jpg

[Bahbah]

Then we give out the location in the last moment, for security. We do it by email, word-of-mouth, phone calls -- I tell everyone I know. Even then, many hundreds turn up

Fantastic courage. Great story. Thanks!

[keepitreal]

Amazing story.

[MeekMom]

re: 4 LOL

[Pharmboy]

Great post! Thank you...

[NotJustAnotherPrettyFace]

The most important words in this whole article?

So why stay? To fight back against the malevolent and the ignorant. I like to think that we inspire people -- they see us and they see the barbarism everywhere. It gives them a choice: It could be like this, or like this."