Higher Institute of Music in Damascus

Music school in Damascus, Syria

The Higher Institute of Music in Damascus (HIM) (Arabic: المعهد العالى للموسيقى) is the national music academy in Syria.

## History

[edit]

The HIM was founded in 1962 by music educator and conductor Solhi al-Wadi as the Arab Institute of Music and was established in its current form as a conservatory in 1990 by presidential decree. The aim of the institute is to prepare upcoming generations of musicians to perform both Arabic and international music.[1]

The institute trains students in various Arabic and western musical instruments. It also teaches the principles of individual, collective, Arabic and international vocal music performance. Further, it offers courses for future composers and band leaders and prepares researchers in musicology, especially to study Arabic music. The institute has trained students for musical ensembles with string, wind and percussion instruments, for the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, Arabic music choirs and orchestra, as well as for opera singing.[1] In 2004, musicians Kinan Azmeh, Dima Orsho, Issam Rafea and other former graduates of the HIM formed the jazz fusion band Hewar.[2]

Further, the HIM regularly participates in musical activities both in Damascus and in other cities in Syria. The HIM is housed in the same building complex as the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts and located next to the Damascus Opera House on Umayyad Square.[3]

Several of the institute's graduates have moved abroad, often for further training or engagements at music venues, but also fleeing the Civil War in Syria since 2011. Before this and since its beginnings, the institute had employed several Russian teachers seconded by the Soviet Union.[4][5] Among them was Victor Babenko, choir conductor and the leading author of a musical dictionary and harmony textbook for Syrian music.[6]

Professional musicians from Syria have performed at concerts in the Middle East, the U.S. and notably in Europe, such as the Morgenland Festival Osnabrück in Germany.[7]

## Notable staff and graduates

[edit]

Faculty

* Solhi al-Wadi, founder and first director
* Cynthia al-Wadi, (piano)
* Athil Hamdan, chellist and second director after al-Wadi[8]
* Lubana al Quntar, soprano singer, former Head of the Opera Department at the High Institute of Music in Damascus (2003–11)[9]
* Issam Rafea, former Head of the Arabic Music Department, oud player and composer, based in the U.S.[10]
* Gaswan Zerikly, (piano)
* Raad Khalaf, (violin and ear training)
* Victor Babenko, and other teachers from Russia (harmony, music theory and choir conductor)
* Anatoly Muratov (clarinet)
* Vladymir Zaretsky (piano)
* Victor Bunin (piano)

Graduates

* Dima Orsho, soprano singer and composer[11]
* Kinan Azmeh, clarinetist and composer[11]
* Lena Chamamyan, soprano singer and songwriter[12]
* Mireille Bittar, soprano singer
* Maias Alyamani, violinist and composer
* Hassan Taha, oud and horn player[13]
* Moslem Rahal, ney player
* Basel Rajoub, saxophone player
* Rasha Rizk, singer
* Kinan Abou-Afach, cellist, based in the U.S.
* Shafi Badreddine, oud player and composer[14]
* Mohannad Nasser, oud player and composer[15][16]
* Dania Tabbaa, pianist[17]
* Waed Bouhassoun, singer and oud player[18]

## See also

[edit]

* Music of Syria
* Hewar
* Morgenland Festival Osnabrück

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "International Directory of Music and Music Education Institutions". idmmei.org. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
2. ^ "Syria: Oriental Jazz with a Touch of Classical Music - Qantara.de". Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
3. ^ Silverstein 2013, p. 39
4. ^ "Российские музыканты проведут мастер-классы для студентов консерваторий в Сирии (Russian musicians hold master classes for students of conservatories in Syria)". tass.ru. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
5. ^ Александровна, Рапацкая Людмила; Раша, Харфуш (2019). "Культурологическим подход к периодизации развития сирийской музыкальной культуры как научный инструментарий её освоения будущими музыкантами-педагогами в России [A cultural approach to the periodization of the development of Syrian musical culture as a scientific tool for its development by future music teachers in Russia]". Музыкальное искусство и образование. 7 (3): 138–150. doi:10.31862/2309-1428-2019-7-3-138-150. ISSN 2309-1428. S2CID 214525558.
6. ^ "Традиционное искусство пения в контексте современного музыкального образования сирии (Traditional art of singing in the context of modern musical education in Syria)". cyberleninka.ru. Retrieved 2022-07-25.
7. ^ "Interview with Michael Dreyer of the Osnabruck Morgenland Festival: A hub connecting the Orient and the Occident - Qantara.de". Qantara.de - Dialogue with the Islamic World. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
8. ^ "TEAM – Nawras". Retrieved 2022-10-12.
9. ^ "Lubana al-Quntar". www.nationaltheatre.org.uk. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
10. ^ "Issam Rafea – Crossing Borders Music". Retrieved 2022-10-09.
11. ^ a b "Artists". Songs For Days To Come. Archived from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
12. ^ "Lena Chamamyan". auroraprize.com. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
13. ^ SWR Classic (2012-09-25). "Hassan Taha". swr.online (in German). Retrieved 2022-10-11.
14. ^ Saad, Hannibal. "Contemporary Classical Music in Syria". syrian-heritage.org/. Retrieved 2022-10-12.
15. ^ "Mohannad Nasser - Oud performance & drinks reception - Rhodes Trust". Rhodes House - Home of The Rhodes Scholarships. Retrieved 2022-10-16.
16. ^ https://valencia.berklee.edu/mohannad-nasser-seeking-the-intersection-of-traditional-and-contemporary-music/ [bare URL]
17. ^ General-Anzeiger Bonn (2018-11-23). "Woche der Kulturen: Grenzen überwinden mit Kunst und Literatur". General-Anzeiger Bonn (in German). Retrieved 2022-10-12.
18. ^ Bensignor, François (2016-07-01). "Waed Bouhassoun". Hommes & migrations. Revue française de référence sur les dynamiques migratoires (in French) (1315): 134–139. doi:10.4000/hommesmigrations.3741. ISSN 1142-852X.

33°30′44″N 36°16′44″E﻿ / ﻿33.51222°N 36.27889°E﻿ / 33.51222; 36.27889

## Further reading

[edit]

* Silverstein, Shayna (2013). "Transforming Space: The Production of Contemporary Syrian Art Music". In Burkhalter, Thomas; Dickinson, Kay; Harbert, Benjamin J. (eds.). The Arab Avant-Garde: Music, Politics, Modernity. Middletown: Wesleyan University Press. pp. 37–73. ISBN 978-0-8195-7387-2. OCLC 862608636.
* Silverstein, Shayna. "Syria's Radical Dabke (Summer 2012)". Middle East Report. 263 (Summer 2012): 33–37.

## External links

[edit]

* Oficial page