Seattle Symphony free concert - Music Beyond Borders: Voices from The Seven

Music by Rahim AlHaj will be part of
the Seattle Symphony free program Feb 8

FREE Concert on February 8 with Program Drawn from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen

The Seattle Symphony will present Music Beyond Borders: Voices From the Seven on February 8 at 7:30pm in the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium in Benaroya Hall, 200 University St, Seattle 98101.

This FREE concert for the community will feature music drawn from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The community is invited to experience the rich and diverse musical heritage of these countries.

The program is still being developed and will include as many of these seven countries as possible including works by Syrian-born Kinan Azmeh, Iraqi-born Rahim AlHaj and two Iranian-born composers, Gity Razaz and Alireza Motevaseli. These composers reside in the United States except for Motevaseli who lives in Iran.

“Our musicians and I are passionate about using our art form to create connections with others and celebrate the diversity of our community,” shared Music Director Ludovic Morlot. 

“Many of our musicians are immigrants themselves, so when they suggested we create a concert like this, we enthusiastically embraced the opportunity to bring the universal power of music to speak across boundaries and borders.”

President / CEO Simon Woods remarked, “During the past week, I’ve seen the arts community around the U.S. coming together in meaningful ways following the recent executive order restricting travel and immigration from certain countries. At the Seattle Symphony, inclusivity is a core value. 

"We feel inspired to add our voice, with the hope that we can bring our community together to celebrate the freedom of expression and open exchange of ideas which the arts have always stood for, especially in times of division and conflict.”

Additional programming information will be posted on the event page on the Seattle Symphony website as it becomes available.

The performance will be streamed live on the Seattle Symphony’s Facebook page.

Approximately one quarter of the Seattle Symphony’s musicians are immigrants.

The Seattle Symphony is a member of the League of American Orchestras, which has issued this statement on the executive order.