Concert for Peace in Haifa
HAIFA--The Yuval Ron Ensemble performed two concerts while in Israel. The first was at a theater in the Arab-Jewish Center in Haifa: Beit Hagefen. The second was as part of the International Oud Festival in Jerusalem.
As you may have already read, Haifa feels like home to me and this was only underscored by the the concert. From the first song, the audience opened their hearts to the music and the message. Najwa Gibran sang with such beauty and intensity, I couldn't help myself from clapping and shouting AYWAH! "Aywah" means "yes!" but it is not the kind of "yes" which answers a question in the affirmative. It is the "yes" of emotion, when you have no choice but to cry out.
Najwa Gibran singing a composition of her father's
An Arab woman sitting to the right of me echoed my aywahs. I turned to her and smiled. She responded in kind with a warm smile that glowed from her eyes. The rest of the concert we clapped and shouted together. The music connected us even though I only know four words in Arabic and she didn't speak English.
Audience at Beit Hagefen
The Yuval Ron Ensemble's concerts span cultural and spiritual modalities by playing Jewish, Sufi and Christian Armenian music. That audiences in the Middle East respond to their concerts re-invigorates their mission of peace which at times can be daunting.
The last song was a Sufi song. Yuval Ron invited the audience to participate by clapping and singing. You could feel the energy rise and joy burst out as everyone in the room joined in. All the musicians stopped playing except for Norik on clarinet. The band came to the edge of the stage, clapping and singing with the audience. We were one at that moment. No longer band and audience. No longer Israeli or American, Arab or Jew, Christian or Muslim. Just people in the midst of the divinity of music.
The Yuval Ron Ensemble ignites audience at Beit Hagefen
Following the concert was a reception with food and drink. CDs sold like crazy and enthusiasm from the concert filled the halls outside the theater. Everyone mingled. It was a night of celebration. A night that united hearts.