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Palestine Youth Orchestra (PYO) - 2011

… Meet the musicians of the PYO

Mahmoud grew up in the Al Amary refugee camp on the outskirts of Ramallah. He began studying the violin only 5 years ago through a programme initiated by the Al Kamandjati Association. In a short time he has excelled to become a proficient young performer, and last year won second prize in the Palestine National Music Competition (strings category). He is the most recent student to lead the Palestine Youth Orchestra. Mahmoud is beginning his studies at the Toulouse conservatoire in France. Having been the recipient of numerous awards in her native Palestine for both violin performance and composition,

Jenna is pursuing her violin studies at the University of Indiana in Bloomington, USA where she has completed her first year. She teaches at an elementary school when not practicing the violin or studying music.

Mahmoud Karzon, 18, Violinistfrom Al Amary camp, Palestine

Jenna Barghouti, 19, VIOLINFrom Ramallah

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Layale Chaker, 21, VIOLIN Palestinian living in Lebanon

Layale studied violin at the Lebanese Higher National Conservatory of Music in Beirut. From a mixed Palestinian-Lebanese family, Layale has never visited Palestine and the PYO provides her with a unique opportunity to socialize and connect with other young Palestinians living in Palestine and abroad. Layale now studies at the CSNM Paris Conservatoire, and spends much of her time focusing on composition studies at IRCAM. Naseem Halabi, 14, VIOLIN From rural Palestine

Naseem is from a rural family living near to Ramallah. He began studying on an outreach programme set up by the ESNCM, but later switched to become a regular student of the conservatoire after showing early promise on the violin.

Dania al Hasani, 24, VIOLIN From the occupied Golan, living in Syria Dania’s family are refugees from the occupied Golan region of Syria. Dania completed her studies in violin at the Syrian Higher National Institute for Music, and later completed a degree in English Literature at the University of Damascus. Dania now continues her studies in Verona, Italy, where she is a violin student at the conservatoire.

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Mostafa Saad, 13 – VIOLIN Palestinian from the Galilee Just 13 years old, Mostafa is from a Palestinian Druze family living in a small town in the Galilee region (historic Palestine). Mostafa displays tremendous talent and musical maturity for his age and performs regularly in a string quartet with his older brother Omar (viola), younger sister Tibah (cello), and younger brother Ghandi (2nd violin).

Mohamed studied at the ESNCM in Bethlehem before winning a scholarship to study at the Angers Conservatoire in France, where he recently completed his DEM. He has performed as a clarinetist in the Palestine National Orchestra, and has returned to Palestine to teach clarinet at the ESNCM in Ramallah and Bethlehem. As well as being an accomplished clarinet player, he is also an exceptional nay player (traditional Arabic pipe instrument). Layth comes from a musical family, his father being the Iraqi conductor Mohammed Sidiq. After completing high school at Cheethams School of Music in Manchester, Layth was offered a scholarship to study violin at the Royal College of Music in London, but chose instead to accept a full scholarship to study film composition at the Berklee School of Music in the USA. Layth is one of a small number of exchange students from other Arab countries who continue to take part regularly in the project. Layth is also an able French Horn player.

Mohamed Najem, 26, CLARINETFrom Bethlehem

Layth Sidiq, 19, VIOLIN Iraqi refugee living in Jordan

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After completing all the viola grades at the ESNCM in Ramallah, Tala chose to study nutrition at the American University of Beirut. She now works as a nutritionist for the World Health Organisation in Ramallah, but continues to play regularly as an amateur violist in orchestras and other classical groups in Palestine. Having won many awards for cello performance whilst a student at the ESNCM in Bethlehem, Naseem now studies performance at the Berklee School of Music in the USA.

A Palestinian refugee living in Egypt, Faten visited Palestine for the first time in the summer of 2011, when she performed with the PYO as a bass player in Nablus and Ramallah. During the rehearsals in Birzeit she was presented with a Palestinian flag signed by all members of the PYO. Faten is a graduate of the Cairo Conservatoire and plays at the Cairo Opera House and Cairo Symphony Orchestra.

Faten Malek, 22, BASS Palestinian Refugee living in Egypt

Naseem Atrash, 20, CELLOFrom Bethlehem

Tala Khoury, 22, VIOLA From Ramallah

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Ahmed studied at the ESNCM in Ramallah, before taking a scholarship in the Hochschule fur Musik in Cologne, Germany. He began his contrabass studies in Germany as a classical student, later switching to jazz. Ahmed enjoys performing in many different styles including Jazz, traditional Arabic, classical and hip-hop.

Hind graduated in trumpet from the Academy of Music in Amman, Jordan. She performs as principal trumpet for the Amman Symphony Orchestra and the PYO. She taught as a trumpet teacher for one year at the ESNCM in Palestine, but has since had difficulties re-entering.

Ahmed Eid, 24, BASS From Ramallah

Hind Sabanekh, 24, TRUMPETPalestinian living in Jordan