{"id":414,"date":"2011-06-24T12:44:39","date_gmt":"2011-06-24T12:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/?p=414"},"modified":"2011-06-25T11:33:16","modified_gmt":"2011-06-25T11:33:16","slug":"operation-mozart","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/?p=414","title":{"rendered":"Operation Mozart"},"content":{"rendered":"

Children and their “musical intifada” prevail at Qalandia<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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Jason Crompton, conductor of the Al Kamandjati youth orchestra, silhouetted in front of the bars at Qalandia military checkpoint. (To listen, click on "Symphony No. 6," or near "Bizet's Farandole," below.)<\/p><\/div>\n

The operation was planned well in advance, and down to the last detail.\u00a0\u00a0Target: <\/em> Passenger terminal at Israel’s Qalandia military checkpoint, near the entry cage where every day, hundreds of Palestinians cross to Jerusalem. \u00a0Time of day: <\/em> High noon, June 23rd<\/sup>, 2011.\u00a0Operatives:<\/em> More than two dozen Palestinian children. Weapons: <\/em> molded wood, metal string, curved brass. \u00a0Known co-conspirators: <\/em>Georges Bizet, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. \u00a0“This is a musical intifada,” declared Ramzi Aburedwan, <\/a>founder of the Ramallah-based Al Kamandjati (The Violinist, in Arabic).<\/p>\n

In truth the operation was not without risk. Jason Crompton, an American pianist who conducts Al Kamandjati’s youth orchestra, and a couple of his colleagues had come to Ramzi with the idea.\u00a0 They’d heard about a similar Al Kamandjati event at the separation wall a few years ago.\u00a0 But they all knew that Qalandia, defined as “Area C” under the ill-fated Oslo accords, is under full Israeli military control.\u00a0 Setting up a Palestinian orchestra in an Israeli military zone \u2013 just steps from the steel corridors, revolving metal gates, and X-ray machines where Palestinians submit themselves for inspection \u2013 was an uncertain prospect.\u00a0 How would the soldiers react?\u00a0 If they forced the children to stop playing, and Palestinians watching this objected, what would happen next?\u00a0 Would the situation get out of control?<\/p>\n

A few Al Kamandjati staffers were nervous, and a couple of parents had called with their concerns.\u00a0 Nevertheless, everyone seemed on board with the plan:\u00a0 It was a way to confront the 44-year-old occupation by reclaiming space through music.<\/p>\n

The operation began swiftly and according to plan.\u00a0 At about 11 a.m. in Ramallah, the 30-some members of the youth orchestra began piling onto the bus, carrying their violins, cellos, trombones and clarinets.\u00a0 Into the belly of the bus went snare drums, cymbals, timpanis, backpacks and sheet music.<\/p>\n

We rolled south out of Ramallah.\u00a0 Ramzi stood at the front of the bus and faced the musicians.<\/p>\n

He designated a half dozen of the older students and staffers for early logistics:\u00a0 As soon as we arrived at Qalandia, these six would quickly assemble the music stands and mount the large percussion.\u00a0 For the rest, “you stay on the bus.\u00a0 Please don’t go out.\u00a0 We don’t want to attract any attention.\u00a0 Once the stands and the big instruments are ready, everybody come with his music, his instrument, and we’ll start immediately.\u00a0 If you can tune on the bus, that would be amazing.”<\/p>\n

What if the soldiers come and order the children to stop playing?\u00a0 “We don’t listen,” Ramzi said.\u00a0 “Exactly as if they are not there.\u00a0 If they say something on the loudspeaker, we don’t listen.\u00a0 We produce sound.\u00a0 That’s it.”\u00a0 He added, hopefully:\u00a0 “Normally at this time there will be more people there.\u00a0 Which is gonna make it more safe, yani<\/em>.”<\/p>\n

“Enshallah,” I said.\u00a0 God willing.<\/p>\n

Just past Lovely Toys<\/a>,<\/strong> the wall and checkpoint towers came into view.\u00a0 The bus swung left through a roundabout, and then right, into the parking lot.\u00a0 Ramzi ran off to find Jason, who had come in a car with two dozen music stands.<\/p>\n

The early logistics team assembled the percussion and music stands, according to plan.\u00a0 There they stood, black metal sentries in the hot sunlight outside the “passenger terminal,” out of the range of military surveillance cameras.<\/p>\n

Nearby, through the open windows of the bus, came the sounds of children tuning their instruments.<\/p>\n

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Tuning on the bus: Mahmoud Karzoun, 18, and members of the Al Kamandjati youth orchestra, moments before they played at the Qalandia military checkpoint.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

And then it started.\u00a0 In two lines, from the front and back bus doors, the young musicians filed out, their instruments out of their cases and ready.\u00a0 Ramzi directed them to the side of the building, where they were to grab a music stand and enter the terminal.<\/p>\n

They strode determinedly past the red metal benches and toward the far corner of the terminal, in front of a long row of blue horizontal bars.\u00a0 On the other side, in a small building behind bulletproof glass, soldiers seemed unaware of the unfolding musical drama.<\/p>\n

Now Jason stood, arms raised, before the musicians \u2013 about 25 kids, and perhaps 8 teachers.\u00a0 The orchestra was poised, bows and brass in position.<\/p>\n

The sound of Mozart’s Symphony No. 6<\/a> in F Major filled the terminal.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Al\u00e1 Shehaldeh, 13, a violinist in the Al Kamandjati youth orchestra, playing Mozart at Qalandia on June 23. "This was the best concert of my life," she said afterward.<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Immediately people stopped, stared, and smiled in amazement.\u00a0 They came closer, pulling out cell phones and snapping photos.\u00a0 Soon perhaps a hundred people were gathered around the Al Kamandjati youth orchestra, transfixed.\u00a0 “People were listening fully,” Ramzi would say later.\u00a0 He was playing viola.\u00a0 “The crossing stopped.”<\/p>\n

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As Mozart played at Qalandia on June 23, the crossing slowed to a trickle.<\/p><\/div>\n

Helen Sherrah-Davies, a visiting violinist from the UK, remembers having to fight back tears as she played.\u00a0 “I wonder how many times joy has entered that space,” she would muse afterward.<\/p>\n

At first the soldiers seemed to pay no attention.\u00a0 But as the Mozart symphony built \u2013\u00a0 Allegro, Andante, Minuet,<\/em> and the Allegro<\/em> last movement \u2013 they started to take notice.\u00a0 By the time the orchestra launched into Georges Bizet’s Dance Boheme from Carmen #2, a soldier appeared, looking out through the bars.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Majd Qadi, 16, plays Bizet. A soldier looks on.<\/p><\/div>\n

He was joined by a second, then a third. One of them got on his radio. They didn’t seem to know what to do.\u00a0 Now Bizet’s Habanera (also from Carmen) was echoing through the terminal.<\/p>\n

This was all rather out of the ordinary.\u00a0 But the soldiers seemed to be aware that trying to stop the music would have created a mess \u2013\u00a0 and an opportunity for a global Youtube event.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Wasim Harbi, 9, is the youngest member of the Al Kamandjati youth orchestra<\/p><\/div>\n

In the end, the orchestra played on, reprising \ufeff\ufeffBizet’s Farandole [listen here:\u00a0\ufeffbizet2<\/a>]\u00a0from L’Arlesienne Suite No. 2, to triumphant applause. [hear more Bizet, with applause:\u00a0bizet2ptwithapplause<\/a>]<\/p>\n

For a long moment, the cheering surged.\u00a0 A feeling of euphoria hung over the reclaimed space.\u00a0 The players looked at each other in amazement.<\/p>\n

Sweat beaded up on Jason’s forehead, the result of his energetic conducting.\u00a0 Now he was facing the cameras.\u00a0 “Do you think the music can make a solution for peace between the nations?” a Palestinian reporter wanted to know.\u00a0 “I wish it were that simple, really,” Jason said with a laugh.\u00a0 “I don’t know if it can bring a solution but I think it can bring a lot of good things to people.\u00a0 It brings really great things to these kids here.\u00a0 And to be a part of that, I can’t ask for anything more, really.\u00a0 It’s amazing.\u00a0 To play here today \u2013 I feel so good.”<\/p>\n

Back at the bus:\u00a0 a sense of jubilation.\u00a0 In the parking lot, Jason went window to window, jumping up to yell gleefully to the kids, who responded each time with whoops and screams.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jason Crompton celebrates at the bus in the Qalandia parking lot, moments after the youth orchestra finished their concert at the checkpoint.<\/p><\/div>\n

We headed back to Ramallah, to the sound of much singing, tabla and oud. “This was the best concert of my life,” said Al\u00e1 Shehaldeh, a 13-year-old violinist.\u00a0 Not so long ago, at a checkpoint, Al\u00e1 was forced to open her violin case and play a song before the soldier would let her pass.<\/p>\n

Now, Al\u00e1 looked out of the bus window at the landscape of Palestine, a peaceful and uncomplicated smile resting on her face.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Children and their “musical intifada” prevail at Qalandia The operation was planned well in advance, and down to the last detail.\u00a0\u00a0Target: Passenger terminal at Israel’s Qalandia military checkpoint, near the entry cage where every day, hundreds of Palestinians cross to Jerusalem. \u00a0Time of day: High noon, June 23rd, 2011.\u00a0Operatives: More than two dozen Palestinian children. more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=414"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":422,"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions\/422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/ramallahcafe.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}