Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra

On July 26, 2008 the Iraqi National Symphony entertained an audience of Coalition personnel and Iraqis at the Al Rasheed Hotel.  The concert was hosted by Ambassador Ryan Crocker in order to mark a new era of cultural exchange for Iraq and its allies.  The orchestra performed eight songs.  Four of the songs were written by the Iraqi composers Husam Al Ansari, Jameel Bashir, Ali Khassaf, and Hanz Momer.  The remaining four songs were the American composers Duke Ellington, Charles Cadman, George Gershwin, and Aaron Copland.

There were approximately 700 in attendance for the standing room only performance. Servicemember and civilians of the Joint Area Support Group- Central attended the concert.  Sgt. Leigh Airey who was there for the Saturday afternoon performance said “I really enjoyed the concert; it was the perfect break from being here. It was nice to close my eyes and feel like I was anywhere but here. I couldn’t help but think of a few movie scenes…one from “Shawshank Redemption” and the other from “Saving Private Ryan” where the characters stumble across, to them, foreign music. Both scenes alike have them admitting to not having any idea what either woman was singing about, but how completely swept away and removed they felt from their current situation. The truth is I don’t know the first thing about Symphonies or orchestrated music, but I do know that yesterday’s concert was an incredibly enjoyable event that made me feel as if I was a tourist taking in a local attraction and spending the afternoon at my leisure.”

The concert was concluded with the orchestra performing George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Following the performance the audience gave the musician a standing ovation that lasted nearly two minutes. Commenting on how he enjoyed the concert Staff Sgt. Brian Enright said “I really liked the traditional Iraqi music, and my favorite part of the concert was the Lincoln narrative.”  With increased safety in Iraq it is likely these events will occur with more frequency.