Abigail Mathias talks to MAias Alyamani, a Syria-born musician
dedicated to Qatar, who seeks more opportunities for concerts in Doha
MAias Alyamani is completely committed to music. Even his name is linked to the melody of sound.
The accomplished violinist recently performed From Damascus to New York, a fusion night where jazz and the sounds of Syria came together. The event was held with the Jazz Lincoln Center Band at St. Regis, Doha.
MAias began his career in 2000 as a solo violinist and composer, and since then has performed and shared his music all over the world with many leading artists and orchestras.
He is originally from Syria, but after seven years in this country, he calls Doha home. “My close musician friends and I are totally dedicated to the country. We have done a lot of cultural shows in Qatar and have actually witnessed the growth of live music in the country.”
MAias has played at a number of concerts including the World Innovation Summit of Education, Doha, 2012, the Tribeca Film Festival Final Ceremony, Doha, 2012, and the Climate Change Conference “ Cop18” Final Ceremony in 2012, to name a few.
He passionately describes the latest concert held earlier this month. “The idea behind the event came from Syria. It is an initiative which is part of Syrian Cultural Week, which has been developed by a non-political organisation that is trying to unite people for peace. They approached me two months ago and I was keen to participate.”
The event included many artistes from all over the world who simultaneously raised awareness about the conflict in Syria, through music. “They want to help end war in the country through peaceful means,” he adds.
The concert was performed by MAias on the violin, trumpeter Dominick Farinacci, pianist Takeshi Ohbayashi, bassist Josh Hari, drummer Mark Whitfield Jr., in addition to special guests.
“It offered support and saying we are together — regardless of what is going on in the country,” says the musician. “This whole idea is very fresh and positive,” he adds. “The organisers are trying to make it an annual event.”
MAias has a Master’s Degree from Vienna University of Music, majoring in Violin Performance with a special focus on Composition. He won the “Soloist Auswahl” competition in Vienna 2006, and participated in the International Paganini Competition in Italy 2001. He was the only Arab ever to participate in these competitions. MAias is a member of the Damascus Festival Chamber Players ensemble, which focuses on contemporary Arabic music.
In 2006, he established the MAqam Ensemble in Vienna, specialising in classical Arabic music. The ensemble is a big success in Europe and the Middle East and already played more than 200 concerts in 22 countries.
“Most people know me for my passion for classical music. I have made a foray into the jazz genre over the past two years,” says MAias adding that, “The jazz band from the Lincoln Centre are high quality musicians. We have grown together as friends and musicians.”
Combining Syrian music with jazz is unusual. MAias says, “To me every experience is special. The music at this concert was very authentic. We kept the material and the quality quite high. We incorporated jazz elements with those of the sounds of Syria.”
He discusses some of the songs that were performed in Doha. These include, One way ticket. There was also a lot of Standard American music played at the event. Some of the other compositions were Warda. O+ and Seawaves.
He is now busy planning his next set of performances. “I am working on a lot of projects. I established a group of performers with whom I am planning a tour. There are also two shows with orchestras in Europe and the Middle East.”
He dwells on the music scene in Doha. “Well, I have been here for a long time and I believe we have a nice set-up in Doha. I am proud of the progress made so far. I do believe though that there aren’t more opportunities to do concerts for people from inside the country.”
He adds, “I tend to play more concerts outside Qatar. It is often hard to book a venue. We need to support local artistes.”
He adds, a country becomes your own not just by a passport. When we started the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra there were hardly any people involved to make up the group.”
“Two years ago, we performed at the National Day ceremony on the Corniche.”
As someone who believes in the power of music, he stresses that more is yet to be done. “Often times outside artistes are called in. For instance, I have played in France, Vienna and Germany but in Doha very few times. I hope this changes.” His fans may certainly be singing the same tune.
Check out MAias Alyamani! https://youtu.be/q8Y-pefWCWY
PROWESS: MAias has had a distinguished career.
