Israeli Jews, Christians, Moslems go drumming up peace

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Philadelphia, PA (January 30, 2020) – If you ask Philadelphia musician Harvey Price what’s the best way to resolve conflict, he’ll say, “Make music together.” And, that’s exactly what he has done for seven years. With the goal of bringing together children who are Jewish, Christian and Muslim in the Galilee region of Israel, Price has encouraged peacemaking and social impact through the Peace Drums Steel Band. And, now, the band is returning to the United States, with a new set of band members, to demonstrate their camaraderie in performances in Philadelphia, PA and Wilmington, DE in April 2020.

In 2013, Price had the dream to form a steel band of Jewish and Arab students in Israel to encourage them to connect with the shared goal of playing steel drums in a band. With the support of clergy from Delaware Churches for Mid-East Peace, that dream became a reality. It was Price and Israeli Michael Chacour who negotiated alliances among Israeli, Arab and Jewish partner schools. The initial 20 students that started in the band in 2013 has grown to 150 students currently participating in Peace Drums.

Now, four years after their initial US tour, an ensemble of 25 middle school musicians from the Peace Drums cohort is coming to the United States to demonstrate their new passion for Caribbean steel drum music as well as their commitment to each other for a shared society.

The mission of the Peace Drums Steel Band has gotten tremendous support in the past few years. In addition to the United States State Department that provided a USAID grant administered by the U.S. Embassy in Israel, The Peace Drums tour is also supported by Peace Drums US and Peace Drums Israel.

The Peace Drums performances will take place April 17 through April 22, 2020 in Philadelphia and Wilmington.