Our project with the ‘Orchestra of Syrian Musicians’ celebrated cultural heritage in exile through a new project I did in 2022. This project happened thanks to the international collaboration grant from British Council and a fantastic partnership with Beirut and Beyond in Lebanon where we recorded a brand new album to celebrate the remarkable music & culture of Syria, Lebanon & the UK combined.

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The ‘Orchestra of Syrian Musicians’ are a well-established collective in Lebanon. They were reunited by Africa Express for a series of concerts in 2016, & a live album was recorded during these shows. The live album that was made on this tour remains a source of great joy for all those involved & has helped to cover costs, equipment & logistics for the orchestra. It was decided that as soon as everyone could go home safely, a studio album would be recorded in Damascus. Five years later, these musicians have still sadly not been able to return to Syria, & many have settled in the UK & Lebanon.

 

This recording project reunited these orchestra members with stars from Lebanon & the UK, to celebrate the remarkable music & culture of Syria, Lebanon & the UK combined. Selected guest vocalists collaborated on the tracks for the record, which was scored for the orchestra.

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