Official Blog
The Orchestra of Syrian Musicians - with Damon Albarn & guests - play for the world live from London’s Royal Festival Hall on YouTube
Friday, June 24, 2016
Music is a universal language that unites people around the world. It reminds us of who we are, where we come from, and the moments that matter the most.
Tomorrow, the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, which features former and current members of the Syrian National Orchestra, will take the stage at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall in London for a special performance, presented by Africa Express, that will be live streamed globally on YouTube from 7:30 p.m. BST (11:30 a.m. PST) at
youtu.be/aH_FP67cLP0
.
As a result of the ongoing conflict, many Syrian musicians, including the orchestra’s conductor Issam Rafea, have been forced to leave their homes. This performance will see musicians who previously worked with Damon Albarn on the Gorillaz track “
White Flag
,” travelling from both inside and outside Syria to reunite for an orchestral performance of Arabic music with Albarn and other guest performers - including Bashy, Bassekou Kouyaté, Bu Kolthoum, Eslam Jawaad, Faia Younan, Julia Holter, Malikah, Mounir Troudi, Noura Mint Seymali, Paul Weller, Rachid Taha, and Seckou Keita - to highlight and celebrate the remarkable music culture of Syria.
Communities around the globe are likewise coming together to host viewings of the performance, including at the YouTube Space in New York and Berlin; at the Bozar Centre for Fine Arts Brussels; and in homes and cultural centers around the world.
The live stream will be hosted by music artist
Faia Younan
alongside
FlyWithHaifa
.
Tune in on Saturday, June 25 at 11:30 a.m. PST, 7:30 p.m. BST to watch the concert live alongside viewers around the world, or catch the event afterwards, all at
youtube.com/africaexpress
. The concert was co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW and Holland Festival.
David Mogendorff, Artist Relations and Music Partnerships for YouTube, recently watched “
Saviour by Jacob Collier
.”
Labels
3D
4k
accessibility
account info
activism
ads
africa
annotations
arts
awards
benefit
betas
bizblog
blogs
bulletins
buzz
captions
celebrity playlists
channels
chrome
citizen journalism
citizen reporting
citizentube
comedy
comments
community
community guidelines
contests
creator's corner
creators
curators
customization
dance
design
discovery
doodle
editor
education
embeds
entertainment
events
facebook
film
flagging
gaming
gmail
google
google tv
government
grants
groups
guidelines
hd
help center
holidays
homepage
howto
inspiration
investment
jobs
journalism
life in a day
live stream
marketing
meetups
mobile
moderator
movies
music
musicians wanted
news
nonprofits
open-source
partners
playlists
policy
politics
privacy
product update
quicklist
ratings
rentals
research
safety
science and technology
screening room
search
sharing
shows
social networks
sports
staff
stats and data
store
subscriptions
tags
test tube
travel
trends
tv
twitter
upload
vevo
video editing
video production
video volunteers
viral video
youtube api
youtube direct
Archive
2020
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2019
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2018
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2017
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2016
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2015
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2014
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2013
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2012
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2011
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2010
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2009
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2008
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2007
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2006
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Jun
May
Apr
Mar
Feb
Jan
2005
Dec
Nov
Oct
Sep
Aug
Jul
Feed
Follow @youtube
Follow
Learn more in the
YouTube Help Center
.