Music has potential to challenge extremism — orchestra founder

AMMAN — Terrorism and extremism cannot be combated by weapons alone; instead, culture and mentalities have to be changed, with a special focus on the transformative potential of art, a musical expert said on Tuesday.  

Fawzi Al Shami, founder of the Arab Youth Philharmonic Orchestra (AYPO), said “any form of music” can transform a person into a “civilised person”.  

He described the AYPO, which was founded in 2006, as “unique”, because it brings together musicians from all across the Arab world. 

The orchestra will perform a concert on Wednesday at the Roman Theatre in downtown Amman.

“Founding this orchestra has been a dream for me since 2000 in Egypt. I wanted to do a project similar to other youth orchestras in the world, but I was thinking of starting a unique orchestra. So I came with the idea of forming an orchestra to bring together young musicians from the Arab world,” he told The Jordan Times. 

He recalled that preparations for the creation of the orchestra were “very difficult”, especially in trying to bring together members from a wide range of Arab countries.

“We needed to approach all the musical academies in Arab countries at the beginning of the project. I used to do tours to … find members, and we used to hold auditions to choose members, but, later, we depended on receiving videos,” he added. 

Shami said members range between 18 and 25 years old and that they have all studied music professionally. 

“We gather every year for two weeks in a specific country and we do musical workshops in the countries we visit,” he said, adding that there are between 75 and 85 members.  

The founder said although the project is small, it reflects an important concept, which is unity among Arab countries. 

“Arab countries are in a state of division in every field; whether financially, politically and socially. Though it is a small project, it shows unity among the Arab youth; it is not only a musical project but also a bridge for young people to stay in touch,” he added.  

One member, Gala El Hadidi, said the orchestra played an important role in changing negative perceptions of the Arab world, especially in the West. 

“When we performed a concert in Berlin, there was a very high attendance and the public interacted with us in a great manner. They came because we are not only an Arabic orchestra, but also because we play classical, Western pieces, and this shows that Arabs are taking a step towards Western culture musically, while preserving the Arab culture,” the Cairo-born artist said. 

Mohammad Othman, the director of the National Music Conservatory, said Wednesday’s concert will be a fundraising event for the academy’s scholarship section. Established five years ago, around 45 students have so far benefitted from it.