Orient meets Occident: a lasting cultural dialogue in cooperation with "Young Artists Bayreuth" August 14. - 22. 2011

Since 2002 we invite our young musicians also to workshops on an international level: together with their counterparts from Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Jordan and Egypt they attend musical workshops. Over two weeks they study and practice western and arab music. In addition to these musical activities they have been listening to speeches and discussions covering subjects of common interests aiming at a better understanding of each others world and helping to create a basis for a lasting friendship.

When young people with different cultural backgrounds meet, the ensuing dialogue often breaks down because of two organisational preconditions: the lack of a common language and of the time needed to mutually recognise and accept that they are personalities with different lifestyles.

During the two weeks of the Orient meets Occident- gatherings our scholarship holders have an excellent opportunity to enjoy the uniting force of music, to experience one anothers music cultures, to learn more about each other's way of life and to make friends.

These workshops were followed by concerts in Aleppo, Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Damascus and Tripolis. Such voyages enhance the understanding of the different music-culture, lifestyle and living conditions in the different countries.

In 2009 we gained an additional experience: for the first time, Orient meets Occident was organized in cooperation with "Young Artists Festival Bayreuth". this Festival invited over the last 60 years more than 21.000 young musicians from all over the world. The opportunity to meet with so many young people from other countries is a further advantage for all participants.

In 2010 we invited 37 musicians from 7 Arab countries and Germany to perform "Paths to Parzifal - or the search for the holy Grail in the music of East and West"
The Western repertoire from the middle-ages, renaissance and baroque dealing with the subject Parsifal, classical-arab music of the 12. century from Al-Andalus, arrangements and compositions from jazz and pop was arranged and conducted by our artistic director Dr. Vladimir Ivanoff.

Workshop 2011

For August 2011 we invite young musicians from Egypt, Tunisia and Europe to participate in our 3rd workshop in cooperation with the "Festival for Young Artists" in Bayreuth.

It will offer multiple parallel possibilities to gain new musical experiences and meet people from didderenr musical and cultural backgrounds:

Two Worlds? One Music?

 Arab Classical Music, the sound icon for the glorious past and the present cultural unity of the Arab World; Jazz, the sound icon of Western (American) modernism:

two musical worlds, both rooted deeply in their oral tradition and their complex art of improvisation.

The participants will communicate through separate and joint ensembles with young musians from Germany and the Arab world. Specialized short workshops provide the background for jamming together in a free and creative way on the "open stage".

Subjects dealing with and comparing both musical worlds will be:

 - rhythm & metre : Jazz & Arab music
 - tonal & modal systems
 - forms
 - melodic development
 - motivic development
 - free and "guided" improvisation
 - repertoire for the final concert

We invite young musicians from both worlds, with experience in Jazz (vocal, saxophone,trumpet, trombone, piano, guitar, bass, drums and percussion, vibraphone....) and /or classical Arab music (nay, qanun, oud, arab percussion).

this will hopefully lead to unique human encounters and hitherto "unheard" new music. Maybe it will also create a new cultural unity beyond national and cultural borders, a desirable goal for a new Arab world as well.

As over the last years the artistic director will be:

Dr. Vladimir Ivanoff (percussion & conducting), Munic
He will be supported by the following 3 lecturers:
Dr. Ashraf Mohamed Said Mohamed Ali Hikal (classical arab instruments), Egypt
Dr. Mohammed-Ali Kammoun (arab jazz & composition), Tunisia
Hugo Siegmeth (european jazz), Munic