The Symposium

Symposium — Middle East Harmonies

Watch a video of the symposium here.

Monday April 11, 2011 at 7:30 PM

The Fenway Center (77 St. Stephen Street), Northeastern University

The symposium was offered in conjunction with the concert April 10 at Sanders Theatre. The presenters addressed the use of music to increase empathy and mutual understanding among people who have been separated by borders of various kinds and alienated by conflicting politics. Samuel Huntington wrote about The Clash of Civilizations, but this project presents another model—the Counterpoint of Civilizations. Counterpoint can be thought of as the harmonious coexistence of two dissimilar (musical) ideas. Our focus is on the people and cultures of Israel and its neighbors, and on the personal experiences of the presenters.

Presenters:

Benjamin Brinner, ethnomusicologist (featured speaker)

• Read an article by Prof. Brinner by clicking here.

Joshua Jacobson, conductor

Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, Musician, ethnomusicologist.

Shakir Mustafa, Arabic Languages and Literature

Amir Milstein, musician

Zohar Fresco, musician

Taiseer Elias, musician, ethnomusicologist

Lori Lefkovitz, Professor of Jewish Studies

Andre De Quadros, Professor of Music at Boston University

Program booklet (for the concert and the symposium)