22 professional musicians from all over Europe, renowned singers from the USA and France, and a Syrian refugee choir. The Ornina Syrian Orchestra does not only distinguish itself by its atypical Arabic music but by the message it shares. "I don’t think there is a better way to improve society than through art,” Shafi Badreddin explained.

The Syrian/Luxembourger studied in Damascus in Syria at the Higher Institute of Music and continued composing in Lyon and conducting in Dijon, before moving to Luxembourg in 2006.

When Syrian refugees migrated to Luxembourg in 2016, Badreddin knew that he had to do something. “There are many Syrian refugees everywhere in Europe, including my former colleagues and even my students in Damascus, so we needed a framework to gather and to make music together, but also to share this music with musicians in the society where we live,” he said.

Months later, the first concert of the orchestra “Voice of Syria” was performed in a packed room, and given a 15-minute standing ovation, leaving the refugee choir overjoyed and proud of their accomplishment. “If we listen to the news, there is a picture of Syria where there are only bad guys and that's all. We completely forget the normal people, the civilians and the activities they did there, the students, the musicians… We wanted to show their voice,” explained the conductor.

If the 2016 concert was more axed on presenting the refugees, the two successive concerts “Hymne au Printemps” (Hymn to Spring) on 13 and 14 July 2018 at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, will be a tribute to the revolutions that began in 2009 in the Arab world. “If I can say, there is a missing word, it’s more “Hymn to the Arab Spring”,” Badreddin told Delano. “The majority of Syrians do not accept the division of Syria, so I wanted to show Syria unified musically. I took a song from each city, from every region of Syria and I compiled them, including songs in the Turkish and Syriac language. I made a sequel that brings together all the accents, all the languages and the musical colours.”

For an hour and half, modern string and wind instruments, and traditional oriental instruments will fuse together, retracing a timeline of the revolts from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya to Syria, and more, as well as referring to the refugee situation in Europe.

If the upcoming concerts meet with success, Badreddin considers touring in Europe. “There are refugees everywhere, there are problems and controversies, but also joy. We need to intensify these events, together we can make something beautiful,” he declared. Optimistic, he also dreams of a musical theatre, “not opera, because it is not my musical tradition,” he said. “I have the great intention and desire to take up the idea of the Lebanese brothers Rahbani and the Lebanese singer Fairuz, who started a musical theatre,” he added.

The tickets for the concerts are available here. The Ornina Syrian Orchestra offers free tickets to asylum seekers who have not yet acquired Luxembourgish citizenship.

The orchestra is also looking for Luxembourg musician residents, especially string instrument players.