Syrian guitar quartet invited to perform at U of W

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This article was published 17/09/2019 (2203 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After welcoming hundreds of war refugees two years ago, Winnipeg is hosting a different group of Syrians this week: a classical guitar quartet.

Orontes Guitar Quartet is visiting Canada through a fellowship with the Artist Protection Fund. They’re performing Wednesday night, at a free public event at Eckhardt Gramatté Hall.

“It’s a celebration of their skills and talent,” said University of Winnipeg human rights Prof. Shauna Labman.

The Winnipeg Classical Guitar Society, which invited the quartet to Winnipeg, and the U of W’s Global College are hosting an “Evening of Music and Migration.” There will be a Q-and-A session with the musicians about their journey and experiences.

World Refugee Council chairman Lloyd Axworthy — a former foreign affairs minister and U of W president — will discuss the council’s recommendations for addressing the world’s refugee flows and raising awareness.

“We’re hoping to have a big, celebratory event,” said Labman. “These talented musicians are sharing their gifts.”

The Syrian group has already performed several concerts in Winnipeg, with proceeds going to Welcome Place and the Canadian Council for Refugees.

The Orontes Guitar Quartet members are not in Canada as refugees, said Labman. The men are spending a year in B.C. at the University of Victoria on fellowships organized by the Artist Protection Fund.

Based in New York and funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the fund provides “relief and safe haven to artists on a large scale, and for extended periods.”

The Orontes Quartet members are the first Artist Protection Fund fellows in Canada since the political climate in the U.S. made it a non-option, said Labman.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca