German violinist leads tour of Syria’s refugees
mainStefan Arzberger, formerly of the Leipzig String Quartet, is taking a small ensemble to Jordan for a tour of Syrian refugee camps.
‘The idea (is) to set a sign of solidarity for the many people who had to flee from crisis-hit areas in the region. And the best way to do so was by using the universally applicable language of music, which contributes at the same time to international understanding,’ Arzberger tells the Jordan Times.
Others taking part are cellist Konstantin Pfiz, violist Béatrice Muthelet and clarinetist Marco Thomas.
They will play eight concerts in Azraq Refugee Camp, Irbid, Mafraq, Salt and Amman.
Look at Arts Professional to see how many of our arts companies have provided evidence of the power of the arts to the Dept of Culture who will then be passing on the information to Parliament.
This was the violinist involved in the bizarre hotel ordeal in NYC a couple of years ago for which he was exonerated. Good read he has been redeemed and is back at work.
He’s been back at work for a bit. He’s held a fixed-term contract as Assistant Concertmaster with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for nearly 2 years now.
He wasn’t exonerated. “Mr. Arzberger, who had faced a charge of attempted murder, instead pleaded guilty to a less serious charge of reckless assault in the third degree, and was given an unconditional discharge. He faces no jail time or fine.” (new york times)
I hope Stefan will be (or has been) in touch with the German/Syrian duo of Maria Magdalena Wiesmaier (cello) and Nabil Hilaneh (oud.) They do wonderful work:
https://vimeo.com/179239729