After we performed for the Mosaic Foundation on the second day of arrival, we proceeded to perform for the Islamic Saudi Academy in Washington D.C.
As it was our goal to bring down barriers culturally through music, this was a very good example of our mission in the tour. This school has known to be a pretty conservative school over the years. Music has never been part of the curriculum. Students have never watched any performances in the auditorium in school or anywhere else in school before. Oh yeah, and if you notice in the photos, girls are seated on one side, and the guys on the other side. Sounds familiar to some of you Malaysians out there? hehe...
Here's the coverage by Reuters about the concert. The photos in this blog today were taken by the reporter from Reuters, Kevin Lamarque. The bandage on my harp made it to the news too! Nice...
Anyway, we were told to dressed appropriately and be prepared even if the response is not going to be good. Many of our group members went to the school with some level of uncomfort, not knowing what to expect. When we stepped into the school, we saw that most girls were wearing headscarfs with long sleeves and long skirts. The school is separated into the girls' school and the boys' school. They range from age 4-18. While this is not new to me, I was pretty surprised to find that there are indeed schools that are conservative in the USA.
After we played our first piece as an orchestra (only half of us were there), the students clapped thunderously! It was indeed a very touching moment. I can't explain that feeling or why I felt that way, but I think it was a sort of freedom. I felt a form of revolution in the school.
Side track: In the tour, we were divided into smaller playing groups (according to music genre) other than the main orchestra. These groups are to visit homes or schools to perform during our non-concert days.
Back on track, the groups who went to the ISA were the Jazz band, the Middle-Eastern group and the Celtic group. I am in the Celtic group. That's why only half of the orchestra was there. By the end of our performance, students and teachers were cheering and calling for encore. It was a surprise and a very memorable moment.
Tomorrow, we will be playing at the Lisner Auditorium with the Queen of Jordan as one of our guest-of-honour. It's 3am now. I better get to bed. We have a long day tomorrow...
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