26/09/15 12:47Breaking barriers in Iraq and abroad — Medium

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Breaking barriers in Iraqand abroadyoung women of the National Youth Orchestra ofIraq

Anna Soliman Photography

26/09/15 12:47Breaking barriers in Iraq and abroad — Medium

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This article originally appeared on Kickstarter.

“There is a myth that we don’t do any kind of arts in Iraq,” says Dua’a,first oboist of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq. “Sometimes the media — in Europe, in the US — only transports the violence and the horror. Theydon’t show the good things.”

These misconceptions are only one of many obstacles that have madeNYOI’s success so remarkable for the last five years. From the incredibledifficulty of simply bringing the members of the orchestra to a safe place tocountering ignorance or discrimination both at home and abroad, themusicians have worked hard for all their acclaim.

Especially young women like Dua’a. “I’m a girl and I play music, and somepeople think it’s not really appropriate for our culture. There was a timewhen I couldn’t tell people I’m a musician. I still have to talk to theperson and find how open-minded he or she is, so I can say ‘I play music, Iplay in an orchestra.’”

Dua’a Majid Azzawi, oboe

26/09/15 12:47Breaking barriers in Iraq and abroad — Medium

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Paul MacAlindin, NYOI’s founding conductor, knows how challenging it isfor his female students to continue to excel in music. “[In 2011], ArabellaSteinbacher came to play the Beethoven Violin Concerto and you could seethe jaw of every guy in the first violins hit the floor. They’d never seenanybody play like that. And certainly not a woman. In traditional Iraqisociety, women are not encouraged to make art. About a quarter of ourorchestra is female and you can see they’ve worked ten times as hardto get here.”

That’s one of the reasons that NYOI’s story is so unique — the orchestrawas founded by a 17-year-old girl. Zuhal Sultan knew that the best way tounite the young artists of her country was to create an orchestra, and shewas right. Since their first performance in 2009, NYOI has been the onlyIraqi arts program actively bringing together Arabs and Kurds, Sunnis andShiites, men and women, and positioning them as cultural diplomats on aglobal stage. This year, NYOI brings their message of peace andcollaboration to a new audience in the United States.

Arabella Steinbacherrehearses with NYOI

(Georg Witteler 2011)

26/09/15 12:47Breaking barriers in Iraq and abroad — Medium

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