Sarah Wood teaches Nour at the Summer Music Camp
Tunisian Summer Music Camp
We presented a six-day training camp in Tunisia where musicians came to study Western classical music with Cultures in Harmony musicians and Arabic music with musicians identified by our partner organization, the Association de les Supporters de la Creation Musicale (ASCM). This project, our fourth in Tunisia, continued the work of the Musical Friends Academy conducted in Tunisia in 2008. The CiH musicians were Kimball Gallagher, piano and Deputy Director; Sarah Wood, violin; Lilian Belknap, viola; and Robin Ryczek, cello.
Senda, Amine, Lilian, and Ameni perform Dvorak's American Quartet
as a picture of the Tunisian president looks on
Project Description
In an age when it is more important than ever to foster positive relations between Americans and Arabs, far too few efforts exist to bridge cultural barriers in a way that is mutually beneficial. Music is ideally suited to make this connection, since Arabs and Americans share a love for music, and since the universality of music provides a neutral platform for cultural dialogue.
Because of their shared dedication to music and to the cultural interactions it facilitates, the Association de les Supporteurs de la Creation Musicale (ASCM) and Cultures in Harmony presented the Tunisian Summer Music Camp, a training program in which young Arab practitioners of the Western classical and traditional Arab genres of music will have the chance to learn from and interact with American and Arab instructors, who will in turn interact with each other. Spanish guitarist Daniel Figueras again joined us to teach guitar.
The camp took place in Borj Cedria, Tunisia, from Monday, July 20, to Saturday, July 25, 2009. Nineteen violinists, nine pianists, and four cellists were enrolled. The final concert, including a delightful large-ensemble version of Turkey in the Straw, took place at the Institut Superieur de Musique. You can read about their residency at the English Language Village (a fascinating cultural exchange program run by Amideast) here. Sarah, Lilian, and Robin recorded with the oud and kanun virtuosi Amine and Hamza M'raihi after the conclusion of the Summer Music Camp. The arrangements they recorded were made by Nikola Kołodziejczyk; read his account of the experience.
Sarah and Daniel with students at the end of camp.
Note that they have used the Cultures in Harmony logo stamp as a temporary tattoo.
