Kulna Sawa/Together
Kulna Sawa/Together, a music group from Damascus, Syria, will bring their “Concert for Peace” tour to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
Kulna Sawa, which means “All of us together” in Arabic, combines the distinctive sounds of Middle Eastern music with the beat and style of American music for a unique sound.
The group will be in concert 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23, in the Eastern Mennonite High School auditorium.
The 11-member band is comprised of highly accomplished young Christian and Muslim musicians from Syria. The group has already made its mark on the Middle East music scene with their distinctive blend of traditional Arabic music of their homeland with the sounds and rhythms of American pop and jazz. They have recorded several successful CD’s and have performed internationally to enthusiastic audiences.
In the midst of the current tensions and conflict between East and West, the virtuoso musicians of Kulna Sawa/Together will use music, the universal language, as a way to build understanding and trust between Americans and the people of the Middle East.
The group’s appearance here is part of a tour of 20 major cities across the United States. They will perform in both English and Arabic.
The tour is being sponsored by the Culture for Peace Program, which is part of the Royal Academy of Science International Trust (RASIT). RASIT, a non-governmental charitable organization, has been serving education and science since 1969. The Culture for Peace program of RASIT was formed in 1996 to create dialogue and understanding between East and West through cultural exchange to build respect for each other’s culture.
Kulna Sawa/Together in concert
The Daily Star, an English-language newspaper in Beirut, Lebanon, said that Kulna Sawa/Together “is breaking new ground with their fusion of Western and Middle Eastern music styles.”
General admission is $10. Advance tickets are available by calling the EMU box office, 540-432-4582.
For more information, contact Brian Martin Burkholder, EMU campus pastor, at 540-432-4196.