The Higher Institute of Music in Damascus (HIM) () is the national music academy in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

History

The HIM was founded in 1962 by music educator and conductor Solhi al-Wadi as the Arab Institute of Music and was established in its current form as a conservatory in 1990 by presidential decree. The aim of the institute is to prepare upcoming generations of musicians to perform both

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

and international music. The institute trains students in various Arabic and western musical instruments. It also teaches the principles of individual, collective, Arabic and international vocal music performance. Further, it offers courses for future composers and band leaders and prepares researchers in

musicology Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...

, especially to study Arabic music. The institute has trained students for musical ensembles with string, wind and percussion instruments, for the

Syrian National Symphony Orchestra The Syrian National Symphony Orchestra (, ) is the national symphony orchestra of Syria. Its home venue is the Damascus Opera House, and many of its members have been educated at the Higher Institute for Music in the same cultural complex on ...

, Arabic music choirs and orchestra, as well as for opera singing. In 2004, musicians

Kinan Azmeh Kinan Azmeh (, born June 10, 1976, in Damascus), is a Syrian clarinet player and composer of contemporary classical music based in New York City. Performing with orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, the Seattle Symphony, the Bavarian Ra ...

Dima Orsho Dima Orsho (; b. 1975, Damascus, Syria) is a Syrian-American mezzosoprano singer and composer. She studied first at the Damascus Higher Institute for Music and later at the Boston Conservatory at Berklee. Since 2003, she has been a member of the ...

Issam Rafea Issam Rafea, also written Essam Rafea (, born 1971 in Kuwait), is a Syrian musician, music director and composer, noted for his compositions and performances on the Arabic oud, as former director of the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music ...

and other former graduates of the HIM formed the

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as jazz rock, jazz-rock fusion, or simply fusion) is a popular music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric gui ...

band Hewar. Further, the HIM regularly participates in musical activities both in Damascus and in other cities in Syria. The HIM is housed in the same building complex as the Higher Institute of Dramatic Arts and located next to the

Damascus Opera House The Damascus Opera House (formerly Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts) () is the national opera house of Syria. Inaugurated on 7 May 2004, it is located in central Damascus, on the Umayyad Square. History Damascus already had an opera house in ...

Umayyad Square Umayyad Square ( / ALA-LC: ''sāḥat al-Umawiyīn'') is a large and important square in Damascus, Syria. It connects the city center with several important highways and areas, and contains important buildings, including the Ministry of Defense, ...

.Silverstein 2013, p. 39 Several of the institute's graduates have moved abroad, often for further training or engagements at music venues, but also fleeing the Civil War in Syria since 2011. Before this and since its beginnings, the institute had employed several Russian teachers seconded by the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. Among them was Victor Babenko, choir conductor and the leading author of a musical dictionary and harmony textbook for Syrian music. Professional musicians from Syria have performed at concerts in the Middle East, the U.S. and notably in Europe, such as the Morgenland Festival Osnabrück in Germany.

Notable staff and graduates

Faculty * Athil Hamdan, chellist and second director after al-Wadi * Lubana al Quntar, soprano singer, former Head of the Opera Department at the High Institute of Music in Damascus (2003–11) *

, former Head of the Arabic Music Department, oud player and composer, based in the U.S. *

Gaswan Zerikly Gaswan Zerikly (Arabic: غزوان الزركلي; born 4 January 1954 in Damascus) is a Syrian pianist and composer. Gaswan Zerikly is an internationally recognised pianist, having played in twenty-five countries, including the US and numerous ci ...

, (piano) Graduates *

, soprano singer and composer *

, clarinetist and composer *

Lena Chamamyan Lena Chamamyan (; ; born 27 June 1980) is a Syrian singer-songwriter, known for her soprano voice and unique style, which fuses jazz, Arabic folk music and Western classical music. Personal life Lena was born in Damascus to Artine Chamamyan, a ...

, soprano singer and songwriter * Maias Alyamani, violinist and composer * Hassan Taha, oud and horn player * Basel Rajoub, saxophone player *

Rasha Rizk Rasha Rizk (; born 5 March 1976) is a Syrian singer-songwriter. She is best known for her work with the Syrian cartoon dubbing company, Venus Centre, and for singing the Arabic theme songs for popular cartoons/anime such as: Remi, Nobody's Girl ...

, singer * Shafi Badreddine, oud player and composer * Mohannad Nasser, oud player and composer * Dania Tabbaa, pianist *

Waed Bouhassoun Waed Bouhassoun () is a Syrian singer and oud player. She has released four solo albums of traditional Syrian music, and toured internationally since 2010. She is a founding instructor-performer for the project "Orpheus XXI – Music for life an ...

, singer and oud player

References

External links

* {{Authority control Education in Syria Educational institutions established in 1990 1990 establishments in Syria Buildings and structures in Damascus Art schools in Syria Ministry of Culture (Syria)

History

Notable staff and graduates

See also

References

Further reading

External links