Musicians stress Middle East harmony

Bar-David, left, and Shaheen, play cello and oud at The Robert Ferst Center in Atlanta, Georgia

In this story: Musical ambassadors Similar backgrounds, worlds apart A diverse musical score 'They are musicians primarily' RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Dana Rosenblatt CNN Interactive Associate Editor

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- An ongoing musical discourse is aiming to show audiences worldwide that Arabs and Jews can communicate not only effectively, but in beautiful harmony.

VIDEO Arab and Jewish musicans perfrom at Georgia Tech Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

Israeli cellist Ohad Bar-David and Palestinian musician and composer Simon Shaheen are on tour with "Arab-Jewish Musical Dialogue," a performance blending Arab melodies with Jewish music that reflect Israeli and Eastern European influences.

The two recently performed at the Robert Ferst Center for the Arts at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, bringing their unique blend of Middle Eastern rhythms to a diverse audience.

Before and after their performance the musicians shied away from the media, perhaps knowing they would be confronted with a barrage of questions about the Middle East's political situation.

"This is not for political purposes," said Ilise Cohen, director of the Middle East Peace Education Program, who helped organize the Atlanta performance. "Especially at this time, they know they'll be asked what their stance is on the Middle East."

Musical ambassadors

Rather than be personified as regional ambassadors, Shaheen and Bar-David want to be acknowledged for what they do best -- play music.

Juilliard School-trained Bar-David is an acclaimed cello soloist who has been a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra since 1987. He studied conducting at the Curtis Institute of Music with Max Rudolph and has appeared as a soloist with the Philadelphia Pops under Peter Nero.

He has performed with Israel's leading orchestras and toured the country as a member of the Israeli Army Quartet.

Simon Shaheen, a Catholic Arab, is a composer, violinist and virtuoso on the oud -- a short-necked, plucked lute integral to Arabic music.

Shaheen has performed at notable venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He also tours throughout Canada, Europe and the Arab world to perform at major concert halls and festivals.

Similar backgrounds, worlds apart

The two musicians share a similar background: Bar-David is a native of Tel Aviv and Shaheen is from a village in the Galilee region. Both studied at Tel Aviv's Rubin Academy and even performed in the same youth orchestra, although they did not know each other at the time.

Both men later moved to the United States to pursue musical careers.

According to a report by Philadelphia's Good Times publication, Bar-David was inspired to begin the Arab Jewish Music Dialogue after a visit to a village near Jerusalem called Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salaam (Oasis of Peace), where he played a cello solo.

The community of Neve Shalom is composed of both Israeli and Palestinian families and has become a model of co-existence in the embattled region.

While at Neve Shalom he decided he wanted to spread the message of peace and harmony through music, the report said. Bar-David then contacted Shaheen, considered the leading interpreter of classical and traditional Arabic music, and together they formulated what would become their partnership.

The duo mix Jewish and Arabic melodies reflecting Middle East culture. The classic Eastern European sounds of Bar-David's cello meld with Shaheen's haunting Middle Eastern rhythms of the oud.

Both Shaheen and Bar-David play solo pieces during the performance and then join together to play pieces reflecting their backgrounds.

A diverse musical score

At the Ferst Center in Atlanta, Shaheen's oud complemented Bar-David's cello in a Klezmer tune, an Eastern European Jewish folk song. Bar-David then accompanied Shaheen in a traditional Arabic song composed by Shaheen.

Reactions from the audience ranged from soft clapping to Arabic praises of "Allahu Awakbar" (God is Great) called out after Shaheen's lengthy oud solo.

The duo also played a Turkish piece, exemplifying the musical diversity of the region they represent.

"The Turkish piece they played showed continuity of the (Mediterranean) region, calling from other cultures. The audience was able to experience them all, crossing the waters," said audience member Kenneth Lovell. "Music proved to be the conduit for an amazing force."

Shaheen and Bar-David ended their performance with a piece titled "Prayer." Composed by Shaheen, the piece was used as the musical score for a one-hour documentary film titled "For Everyone Everywhere" in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations' charter governing human rights. The enchanting melody was performed with cello, oud and lute.

'They are musicians primarily'

Both musicians emphasized their cultures' similarities. Bar-David paused to discuss how Arabic and Jewish music were intertwined dating from 11th-century Spain, when Jewish and Arabic culture flourished under Islamic rule.

He noted that the exchange of culture and music of that time "brings us all together." The exchange of cultural ideals and avoidance of a political discussion resonated with the audience.

The Atlanta audience responded to the musicians' message, focusing on music rather than politics.

"The only political tinge in the music was the possibility of understanding," said audience member William Ravenell, "Creating a transient harmony, able to reach above problems that we have with each other with understanding and compassion."

Lovell, an avid Arabic music lover, added, "Two powerful elements, culture and music, provided a forum for change and understanding. This positive expression breaks it down, brings it to a humanity level ... offering a different perspective and angle on the situation."

Such a response is the primary message of the concert, according to Cohen.

"I think a lot of people come (to see them perform) because they could see them as people, humanized on stage," she said. "When you start getting into politics, that's hard to do. They are musicians, primarily, and Arab and Jew, secondary."

Georgia Institute of Technology
Robert Ferst Center for the Arts
Middle East Peace Education Program

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