Damascus Soloists band holds musical evening in Novosibirk, Russia
For two hours, the audience of the Russian city of Novosibirk attended the musical evening of the “Damascus Soloists” band, led by Maestro Misak Baghboudrian, in its second tour in Russia, to shed light on the Syriac musical heritage of Syria and its ancient history.
The evening, which was hosted by the Eurasia Theater in the city of Novosibirk, was attended by members of the Novosibirk government and province, cultural and musical figures, the Siberian State Academic National Choir and media figures.
The evening began with the performance of the song “Al Maya”, and then the National Choir and “Damascus Soloists Band” performed a piece of music that talks about friendship and its importance to people.
Then the band continued with the evening’s program by performing 19 musical and lyrical pieces prepared and arranged by Narik Abjian. It talked about various Syriac periods and rituals in both Arabic and Syriac.
The band chose its first appearance on the 13th of this month to launch its first project by reviving the Syrian Syriac musical heritage that dates back to BC, and was transmitted orally from generation to another through an evening hosted by the drama theater stage at Dar Al-Assad for Culture and Arts.
As part of its project, the band had two tours in Russia, the first was when it presented the lyrical musical evening on the 22nd of this month on the stage of the Rakhmaninov Theater, and the second evening was on Saturday on the stage of Eurasia Theater in the city of Novosibirk.
After the end of the band’s tour in Damascus and Russia, Andre Makdisi, the administrative and organizational director, said in a statement to SANA: “The band’s future projects are to participate in one of the most important cultural festivals in the Russian Federation in March of 2024. Many contacts were made with the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg and the band is scheduled to hold a concert at the Mariinsky Theater, one of the most prestigious theaters in Russia and the world. Work is currently underway to choose the most appropriate time for the band’s travel.”
The band plans to hold periodic concerts that highlight the music of the Syrian components, which is an important cultural and intangible heritage for Syria and the region.
Inas Abdulkareem