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VOA文化艺术2023--American Orchestra Shares Arabic Music, Culture

时间:2023-08-08 07:18:43

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(单词翻译)

American Orchestra Shares Arabic Music, Culture

Michael Ibrahim is busy building bridges. But his bridges are not made of steel. And they do not cross rivers. Instead, they are made of music and cross cultures.

Ibrahim is the founder1 and director of the National Arab Orchestra (NAO). The group is based in the state of Michigan. It aims to preserve and share Arabic music and culture in the United States through its performances and education programs.

"We want to be an organization that is sort of the cultural representative of the Arab-American community," Ibrahim said.

At an NAO concert, the orchestra quickly makes connections with its listeners. As the musicians begin to play, Ibrahim moves his body up and down like a dancer. Soon, audience members start moving to the music's rhythm.

Suddenly, Ibrahim turns around and faces the audience. He urges them to clap their hands to the beat of the music. And he urges them to sing along with parts of a well-known song from Egypt or Lebanon.

With each song, the bridge between the audience and the orchestra grows.

Decreasing fear and increasing awareness2

Ibrahim spoke3 about the need to help people know more about the culture of Arab-Americans:

"The Arab-American community had to face a lot of discrimination, just because they're different, like any other minority community in this country. And that was magnified, you know, after the events of September 11."

He added that after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001, there was a lot of false information. He said, "There is a huge debate on the meaning of the word, ‘Arab', and what is Arab culture"

"So we're doing this to bring awareness about the culture, build these bridges so that people can have a chance to engage with each other, and then that in turn makes the world just a much better and easier place to live in because people are less afraid. . ."

He added, "I really love to share who I am, and I feel like the best way for me to do that is for me to share my culture. . .but I also am born here. And what is American culture if not just this giant melting pot of constant immigration into this country that makes it what it is?"

Beginnings

Ibrahim was born into a Syrian immigrant family in Michigan. He said he was able to connect to his family's culture through music and the arts. When he was 10, he spent a year living in Syria with his family.

Back in the U.S., he learned to play the oud, a stringed instrument his father played. He then studied both Western and Arabic music.

The NAO started in 2009 as a student musical group at the University of Michigan under Ibrahim's direction. Soon it doubled in size and became the Michigan Arab Orchestra in 2010. It changed its name and began playing as the NAO in 2014. In the 2022-2023 season, the orchestra played together at 12 events, including a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Ibrahim noted4 that the group tries to represent all the countries of the Arab world today. But he said much of the music they play comes from Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, and Syria.

Musical elements

The musicians in the orchestra are diverse. Some were born in the Middle East and moved to the United States. Others are Arab-Americans born in the U.S. And some are from the U.S. but have no family connection to Arab countries.

The tonal and rhythmic5 patterns central to Arabic music are different from Western music. So are some of the instruments the musicians play.

Throughout almost every song, Arabic orchestras have musicians playing different kinds of hand drums and tambourines6. This gives the music a strong rhythmic feel. Two kinds of lutes, the oud and the buzuq, are among the instruments that help give the music its special sound. Another important instrument is the qanun.

Ibrahim arranges the music that the orchestra plays. That means he writes down what each instrument will play. Depending on the piece, this can take him anywhere from two weeks to two months to finish.

One of the big goals of Ibrahim and its executive director, Sherri Richards, is to create a year-round school of Arabic music in the U.S.

"We're keeping this culture alive and we're building on it and letting it grow in its own unique way in this part of the world," Ibrahim said. "You have to share it with everybody; you can't just keep if for yourself. So that's the cross-cultural work," he added.

Along with concerts, another way the NAO shares its culture is with its Building Bridges Through Music program. This includes an after-school program teaching Arabic music in the public schools of Detroit, Michigan.

Supporting the arts

In January, the NAO concert in Washington, D.C. sold out in less than three hours. About 1,100 people attended the concert.

Richards, the executive director of the NAO, said, "We have over 400,000 followers7 on YouTube, which is more than any other orchestra in the world..."

"That," she added "really speaks to the reach and the popularity of the music and the orchestra."

Ibrahim explained that the arts bring people together in special ways.

"I guess there's a case to be made for the place of the arts in spreading democracy. With the arts you have the ability to bring people from a variety and diverse geographical8 makeup9. . . It works. We've shown that for the last 15 years we've been doing it."

Ibrahim shared a central reason for supporting the arts. "I think it's really important that people support the arts," he said, "because that's where the soul of humanity resides."

Words in This Story

preserve -v. to maintain or keep something safe and protected over a long period of time

concert -n. a performance of music in front of an audience

orchestra -n. a large group of musicians playing a variety of musical instruments, especially those used for classical music

audience -n. people attending a public performance such as a concert, play, or speech

rhythm -n. how a piece of music is organized in time

clap -v. to hit the palms of the hands together, usually to express approval

magnify -v. to make something seem larger or more important than normal

engage with -v. to interact with

diverse -adj. having variety or many types

soul -n. the innermost part of a person's mind and spirit

reside -v. to live or exist in a certain place


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 Founder wigxF     
n.创始者,缔造者
参考例句:
  • He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
  • According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说,罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。
2 awareness 4yWzdW     
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
参考例句:
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
3 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
4 noted 5n4zXc     
adj.著名的,知名的
参考例句:
  • The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
  • Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。
5 rhythmic rXexv     
adj.有节奏的,有韵律的
参考例句:
  • Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
  • Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。
6 tambourines 4b429acb3105259f948fc42e9dc26328     
n.铃鼓,手鼓( tambourine的名词复数 );(鸣声似铃鼓的)白胸森鸠
参考例句:
  • The gaiety of tambourines ceases, The noise of revelers stops, The gaiety of the harp ceases. 赛24:8击鼓之乐止息、宴乐人的声音完毕、弹琴之乐也止息了。 来自互联网
  • The singers went on, the musicians after them, In the midst of the maidens beating tambourines. 诗68:25歌唱的行在前、乐的随在后、在击鼓的童女中间。 来自互联网
7 followers 5c342ee9ce1bf07932a1f66af2be7652     
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件
参考例句:
  • the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
  • The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。
8 geographical Cgjxb     
adj.地理的;地区(性)的
参考例句:
  • The current survey will have a wider geographical spread.当前的调查将在更广泛的地域范围內进行。
  • These birds have a wide geographical distribution.这些鸟的地理分布很广。
9 makeup 4AXxO     
n.组织;性格;化装品
参考例句:
  • Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
  • Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗?

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