Global Village
Iraq’s Girl of
Harmony By Zuhal Sultan
(as told to Alexa Salvato of the GEB)
Photos by Michael Luongo
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Already a professional pianist, Zuhal Sultan was only 17 when, despite an ONGOING WAR SHE CREATED )RAQ S lRST EVER young people’s symphony orchestra.
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I owe my life to music. It helps me through tough times and gives me
courage.
When I was 6 years old, my mother noticed me listening to music and mimicking it on the toy piano in our Baghdad home. She signed me up for private lessons right away. By the time I was 9, I became a scholarship student at the Music and Ballet School of Baghdad, the first music school in the Middle East. Things changed when the invasion and war began in 2003. I was 12 and my beloved music school was on the brink of collapse as most of the teachers fled the country. Just being seen on the streets of Baghdad with an instrument case was dangerous; it was viewed as a sign of wealth and Western cultural values. During the worst of the violence I tried to continue my classes despite the risk of traveling to and from school. This went on for a long time, so just sitting back and saying, “Oh, I can’t go out; I can’t go to school” was absolutely ridiculous. We knew we must go on.
We students managed to keep the school open and teach ourselves. I come from a very scientific family, which may seem strange for a musician. My parents were scientists; one of my brothers is a doctor and the other is an engineer. I love science; mathematics is another passion of mine. Nevertheless, music is still my main thing. I joined the Iraqi National Symphony when I was 15; that group of 70 musicians of varying ages and religions felt like a big family to me. In the midst of all the violence in our country, it was great to have such a feeling of unity in the symphony. I wanted more young musicians to experience this and I wanted the world to see it. That’s why, when I was 17, I created our country’s first-ever youth symphony: The National Youth Orchestra of Iraq (NYOI). Life has been difficult in Iraq since the war began, but it’s getting
better day by day. That’s why I think it is time to look at the deeper aspects of rebuilding Iraq, through the culture and the arts. With more than 30 of Iraq’s most promising young classical musicians, NYOI helps to do that.
Nerves, Difference, Harmony As I write, NYOI’s first concert is only two days away. I am excited, exhausted, and a bit nervous. Our program includes orchestral works by Beethoven and Haydn; a commissioned piece by our composerin-residence, Sir Peter Maxwell Davies; and new pieces by Iraqi, Kurdish, and Arab composers. Many people in the NYOI didn’t meet each other before last week. Some are from Baghdad and some are from Kurdistan, in northern Iraq. They speak completely different languages and have very different cultural backgrounds. I was afraid they might not get along, but as soon as they sat on stage together with their instruments for the first time to rehearse, they
NYOI in rehearsal Dua’a Majid Al-Azzawi, oboist, Baghdad Annie Melconian, violinist, Baghdad 14
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Alexa talks about her phone interview with Zuhal @ NewMoon.com
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“ ” I am very ambitious, but I know that once you start, there is no stopping!
Zuhal Sultan at her piano (courtesy NYOI)
harmonized immediately. After two days they were dancing together and became real friends. I was relieved because that’s vital for the NYOI to really work.
Persistent Passion At first it seemed like a crazy idea to establish a youth orchestra at the age of 17, without even a conductor! We had problems receiving audition videos from people applying over the Internet because their power would be cut off or their connection was really bad. It was also hard work raising money. But it’s not your age, or where you are from, or your gender that matters— you convince people by the way you talk to them and the passion you have for the project. That’s what makes people believe that you can do it. Individuals and various organizations helped and, with a lot of hard work, we created NYOI.
European tutors are giving online lessons to these young Iraqi musicians, so they can apply again next year. I know it works. Rieko Aizawa, a renowned Japanese pianist who lives in the United States, tutored me via webcam. We each put a laptop near our pianos so we can hear each other play.
I wanted to unite young Iraqis who come from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, and who have been separated from one another by the war. I wanted to honor our ancient country’s culture and diversity. I wanted to encourage our young people to establish a dialogue with one another in music, to realize that we have it within ourselves to be strong and creative and, most importantly, to celebrate our identity as Iraqi musicians.
I want NYOI to flourish. I hope the orchestra continues playing concerts once a year or even more frequently. Perhaps the musicians could tour, perform in front of a global audience, or even win a Grammy. I just finished high school a few weeks ago and I’m moving to Scotland soon. I hope to apply to Oxford, in England, but I also want to keep learning music and become the first female conductor in Iraq. I conducted for the first time yesterday, during a NYOI rehearsal. I posted a video of it online and received lots of great feedback, which I’m very happy about. I am very ambitious, but I know that once you start, there is no stopping!
The National Youth Orchestra of Iraq
We had 50 applicants for NYOI and we selected 33 of the best, ages 14 to 29. We’re helping the others through an online mentorship program provided by Musicians for Harmony, a U.S. group that promotes peace and cultural exchange through music. American and 15
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