Music triumphs over terror...
Iraqi composer and multi-instrumentalist Ameen Mokdad was trapped in hiding under the brutality of ISIS for two years in Mosul. During that time he survived and told his story by writing an extraordinary repertoire of music… in secret. He arranged it for a collaborative album with Cuatro Puntos Ensemble. It was recorded with Ameen playing violin & various Iraqi percussion instruments, reciting his own Arabic poetry, and singing. These 19 songs form a soundscape that transverses a range of emotions: fear, defeat, hope, and rebirth.
Iraqi composer and multi-instrumentalist Ameen Mokdad was trapped in hiding under the brutality of ISIS for two years in Mosul. During that time he survived and told his story by writing an extraordinary repertoire of music… in secret. He arranged it for a collaborative album with Cuatro Puntos Ensemble. It was recorded with Ameen playing violin & various Iraqi percussion instruments, reciting his own Arabic poetry, and singing. These 19 songs form a soundscape that transverses a range of emotions: fear, defeat, hope, and rebirth.
hearing is believing...
THE CURVE has had live performances around the world since its creation in Mosul, Iraq. The album has enjoyed truly international status, with appearances in films, airtime on NPR, and steady album sales + streaming worldwide. Now Ameen joins Cuatro Puntos Ensemble to tell his story live to American audiences for the first time.
AVAILABLE: Contact to book any or all options
- A talk by Ameen on arts in response to oppression. Ameen will tell his story of how his need to compose put him in danger and also helped him survive.
- A concert of The Curve with Ameen & string quartet. This concert will feature all of the music heard in the links above, played live by Ameen and Cuatro Puntos Ensemble. Ameen will narrate and contextualize the music.
- option to add choreography by Ekklesia Dance Company to the concert. Ekklesia is a Middletown, Connecticut based contemporary dance company that has choreographed most of the songs in The Curve. This adds another, visual layer to the performance.
- Photo exhibition by Ameen titled Mosul: What’s Left. This exhibition features photos that Ameen took in Mosul during the war. Many of the photos are of ancient architecture that no longer exists due to the ISIS occupation. Samples of the some of the artwork can be found below as you scroll through the poetry of The Curve. These photos can be enlarged and placed on display at your location for any amount of time.
CONTACT US:
If you are a church, cathedral, or other venue connected with the Episcopal Church, please contact our partners at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford: [email protected] (860) 527-7231
If you are any other venue or interested party, please contact Kevin Bishop, Executive Director of Cuatro Puntos: [email protected] (860) 498-3279
If you are a church, cathedral, or other venue connected with the Episcopal Church, please contact our partners at Christ Church Cathedral in Hartford: [email protected] (860) 527-7231
If you are any other venue or interested party, please contact Kevin Bishop, Executive Director of Cuatro Puntos: [email protected] (860) 498-3279
The Curve - Album Notes
FORWARD
by Kevin Bishop
I met Ameen Mokdad in the summer of 2018 while we were both volunteering as music teachers in a program for refugee and local children in Eastern Turkey, along the border with Syria. We were roommates in a magnificent and ancient hotel made entirely of stone blocks. It overlooked the Mesopotamian Valley: a bucolic and green expanse that, despite its beauty and history as the cradle of civilization, is now a hotbed intersection of three countries: Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Ameen and I immediately became friends. Although on the surface it might appear we come from two different worlds, we quickly found that we had many relatable experiences. We also shared a very similar world view, and even the same subtly sarcastic sense of humor. Every night we would stay up until the wee hours of the morning as Ameen told mind-blowing stories of his trials and hardships during the occupation of Mosul by ISIS. However, despite the fact it was he who had to hide himself and his music, it was he who had ISIS run him out of his home and destroy all of his instruments, and it was he who directly experienced all of the trials and trauma of war outside his door, he viewed it and spoke of it with a remarkably global world view. While many people who experience trauma and war get stuck inside themselves and controlled by what they've experienced, it was immediately clear that Ameen used his music to not only heal himself, but also those around him. His shocking and horrific stories were told in a way that both recognized the injustice done to him and so many others, but also recognized that this injustice is an anomaly. He recognized the potential for good in all people, and even spoke with compassion about the misguided young men who had been brainwashed into doing unspeakable things in Mosul. And, imbued in every crazy story was at least one sarcastic comment that would leave us both laughing hysterically before taking a break to run out in the middle of the night for delicious Turkish sweets.
Personally, I have searched the world for pure, authentic, and meaningful musical experiences and connections. This is part of my own healing. I can say I have not found a more genuine and effective example of someone using music to heal than Ameen Mokdad. Just knowing him has helped heal me and re-invigorate my own love of music. He has taken great injustice and countered it by giving back to the world. Once ISIS was expelled from Mosul, he even went back and started the Light Orchestra, despite continued other threats, in order to spread his infectious and healing love of music to others. The most amazing part about the Light Orchestra is that it is truly WORKING. In my own experience and research, "social music" programs very often fall short of their goals. Intentions might be grand, but execution is very difficult and the intent of even the most passionate organizer might be a little self-serving. However, Ameen is selfless and genuine in his belief that music heals. At its core this is a simple, yet powerful, belief. He uses both the power of his conviction, as well as his warm personality, to inspire others. Ameen has an immediate radar for those in the world who mean well and those who do not, and he shields himself and those he cares about from anyone with self-serving intentions. I've had the opportunity to sit in on some of Ameen's lessons with the Light Orchestra. I’ve never seen a group of young adults who have never played an instrument learn so quickly and so well. They love him, and he loves them. They all love music with a fiery passion.
It has been a great honor in my life to work on The Curve album with Ameen Mokdad over the past two years. The greatest honor is that Ameen has trusted my colleagues and I with his music. His music is deeply personal and emotional. These songs are his children. Ameen allowed us to be co-parents to his children as we helped shape his compositions. He let his children fly, uncertain of what might happen to them.
This album is entirely written and directed by Ameen. He wrote down all the sheet music for string quartet based on his compositions made while in hiding in Mosul. He told me he wrote the arrangements while looking at photos of our quartet so that each part would be personal to the player. Throughout production, he also directed the creative process. At the same time, he allowed us freedom to add our own personality and interpretation. The result is a synergistic soundscape that is a true cross-cultural collaboration.
The Curve is not an ending, but a beginning. In this collaboration we put friendship and kindness above all, and now the creative flood gates have opened. Many additional projects and opportunities have come as a result- both together between Ameen and Cuatro Puntos, and with others we have met as a result. For as Ameen says, "for sure you have wings".
by Kevin Bishop
I met Ameen Mokdad in the summer of 2018 while we were both volunteering as music teachers in a program for refugee and local children in Eastern Turkey, along the border with Syria. We were roommates in a magnificent and ancient hotel made entirely of stone blocks. It overlooked the Mesopotamian Valley: a bucolic and green expanse that, despite its beauty and history as the cradle of civilization, is now a hotbed intersection of three countries: Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. Ameen and I immediately became friends. Although on the surface it might appear we come from two different worlds, we quickly found that we had many relatable experiences. We also shared a very similar world view, and even the same subtly sarcastic sense of humor. Every night we would stay up until the wee hours of the morning as Ameen told mind-blowing stories of his trials and hardships during the occupation of Mosul by ISIS. However, despite the fact it was he who had to hide himself and his music, it was he who had ISIS run him out of his home and destroy all of his instruments, and it was he who directly experienced all of the trials and trauma of war outside his door, he viewed it and spoke of it with a remarkably global world view. While many people who experience trauma and war get stuck inside themselves and controlled by what they've experienced, it was immediately clear that Ameen used his music to not only heal himself, but also those around him. His shocking and horrific stories were told in a way that both recognized the injustice done to him and so many others, but also recognized that this injustice is an anomaly. He recognized the potential for good in all people, and even spoke with compassion about the misguided young men who had been brainwashed into doing unspeakable things in Mosul. And, imbued in every crazy story was at least one sarcastic comment that would leave us both laughing hysterically before taking a break to run out in the middle of the night for delicious Turkish sweets.
Personally, I have searched the world for pure, authentic, and meaningful musical experiences and connections. This is part of my own healing. I can say I have not found a more genuine and effective example of someone using music to heal than Ameen Mokdad. Just knowing him has helped heal me and re-invigorate my own love of music. He has taken great injustice and countered it by giving back to the world. Once ISIS was expelled from Mosul, he even went back and started the Light Orchestra, despite continued other threats, in order to spread his infectious and healing love of music to others. The most amazing part about the Light Orchestra is that it is truly WORKING. In my own experience and research, "social music" programs very often fall short of their goals. Intentions might be grand, but execution is very difficult and the intent of even the most passionate organizer might be a little self-serving. However, Ameen is selfless and genuine in his belief that music heals. At its core this is a simple, yet powerful, belief. He uses both the power of his conviction, as well as his warm personality, to inspire others. Ameen has an immediate radar for those in the world who mean well and those who do not, and he shields himself and those he cares about from anyone with self-serving intentions. I've had the opportunity to sit in on some of Ameen's lessons with the Light Orchestra. I’ve never seen a group of young adults who have never played an instrument learn so quickly and so well. They love him, and he loves them. They all love music with a fiery passion.
It has been a great honor in my life to work on The Curve album with Ameen Mokdad over the past two years. The greatest honor is that Ameen has trusted my colleagues and I with his music. His music is deeply personal and emotional. These songs are his children. Ameen allowed us to be co-parents to his children as we helped shape his compositions. He let his children fly, uncertain of what might happen to them.
This album is entirely written and directed by Ameen. He wrote down all the sheet music for string quartet based on his compositions made while in hiding in Mosul. He told me he wrote the arrangements while looking at photos of our quartet so that each part would be personal to the player. Throughout production, he also directed the creative process. At the same time, he allowed us freedom to add our own personality and interpretation. The result is a synergistic soundscape that is a true cross-cultural collaboration.
The Curve is not an ending, but a beginning. In this collaboration we put friendship and kindness above all, and now the creative flood gates have opened. Many additional projects and opportunities have come as a result- both together between Ameen and Cuatro Puntos, and with others we have met as a result. For as Ameen says, "for sure you have wings".
An opening gate in Mosul, photo by Ameen Mokdad
About the Tracks
1. Fear
When it's comes to your soul, you will lose the sense of time, light and space
The best way to defeat that storm, put it in a jar and look at it , listen to it .
When it's comes to your soul, you will lose the sense of time, light and space
The best way to defeat that storm, put it in a jar and look at it , listen to it .
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خوف
عندما يتسلل الى روحك ستخسر الاحساس بالوقت , الضوء و الفضاء .الطريق الوحيد لهزم تلك العاصفة , ضعها في جره, انظر اليها , استمع اليها |
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2. Wenn
If...
If...
...لو
3. From Her (Scene no. 203)
Every time your smiles are on
Every star of hope are shows
Tells the world that every night
In the end there is a dawn
Every time your smiles are on
Every star of hope are shows
Tells the world that every night
In the end there is a dawn
منها ... المشهد 203
في كل يوم تبتسم
نجوم الامل ستشرق
تخبر العالم ان كل ليلة مظلمه
نهايتها فجر
في كل يوم تبتسم
نجوم الامل ستشرق
تخبر العالم ان كل ليلة مظلمه
نهايتها فجر
4. Havoc
Many wars I have lived
Many tears I witnessed
Many souls have lost their light Still not sure if I got killed.
Many wars I have lived
Many tears I witnessed
Many souls have lost their light Still not sure if I got killed.
خراب
5. Clouds
Waiting ... waiting .... waiting. New pain , more tiredness, or another death behind this waiting ? There is nothing to trace, there is no sign that leads us to any direction,no compass, for waiting surrounds us from all directions and leads us to all directions. A huge, suffocating and long waiting, and a hope in one sign, only one. A storm shows in the horizon . There is thunder and lightning, there will rain followed by the sun. There is life. The clouds are heavy, very heavy and covering the sun, the stars, covering the day and the night.
Waiting ... waiting .... waiting. New pain , more tiredness, or another death behind this waiting ? There is nothing to trace, there is no sign that leads us to any direction,no compass, for waiting surrounds us from all directions and leads us to all directions. A huge, suffocating and long waiting, and a hope in one sign, only one. A storm shows in the horizon . There is thunder and lightning, there will rain followed by the sun. There is life. The clouds are heavy, very heavy and covering the sun, the stars, covering the day and the night.
غيم
انتظار....انتظار....انتظار. ألم جديد ام تعب اكبر ام موت آخر خلف هذا الانتظار؟ ما من أثر نقتفيه، ما من اشارة تقودنا الى اي اتجاه وما من بوصلة، فالانتظار وحده يحيطنا من كل الإتجاهات ويؤدي بنا الى كل الإتجاهات. انتظار كبير، خانق وطويل والأمل في اشارة واحدة، اشارة واحدة فقط. عاصفة تلوح في الأفق. هنالك رعد وبرق هنالك مطر سيتبع بشمس. هنالك حياة. فالغيم ثقيل، ثقيل جدا يخفي الشمس والنجوم يغطي الليل والنهار.
انتظار....انتظار....انتظار. ألم جديد ام تعب اكبر ام موت آخر خلف هذا الانتظار؟ ما من أثر نقتفيه، ما من اشارة تقودنا الى اي اتجاه وما من بوصلة، فالانتظار وحده يحيطنا من كل الإتجاهات ويؤدي بنا الى كل الإتجاهات. انتظار كبير، خانق وطويل والأمل في اشارة واحدة، اشارة واحدة فقط. عاصفة تلوح في الأفق. هنالك رعد وبرق هنالك مطر سيتبع بشمس. هنالك حياة. فالغيم ثقيل، ثقيل جدا يخفي الشمس والنجوم يغطي الليل والنهار.
Mosul, Iraq. Photo by Ameen Mokdad.
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6. Confusion
Blue, you could be in a boat and everything you see is blue, surrounds you and makes you confused, you only want to reach a thing, it could be an island it could be whale even a bird in the sky, what you couldn't reach, stoop looking for it and start to listen to it you will find your path. |
حيرة
ازرق, يمكن ان تكون في زورق و كل ما تراه ازرق, يحيطك حد الحيرة و كل ما تود فعلة ان تصل لشيء , يمكن ان تكون جزيره , حوت , عصفور في السماء , ما لم تستطع الوصول اليه توقف عن البحث عنه بعينيك , اصغ اليه حينها ستجد طريقك
ازرق, يمكن ان تكون في زورق و كل ما تراه ازرق, يحيطك حد الحيرة و كل ما تود فعلة ان تصل لشيء , يمكن ان تكون جزيره , حوت , عصفور في السماء , ما لم تستطع الوصول اليه توقف عن البحث عنه بعينيك , اصغ اليه حينها ستجد طريقك
7. Yoqaal
When I was there everybody said :" you are regretting to be back in this city of Mosul because it’s a big jail now, no one dare to do anything even to dream " I couldn’t say a word, I said Yoqaal . that was the story behind the Yoqaal.
When I was there everybody said :" you are regretting to be back in this city of Mosul because it’s a big jail now, no one dare to do anything even to dream " I couldn’t say a word, I said Yoqaal . that was the story behind the Yoqaal.
يقال
عندما كنت هناك قال الكل " انت تشعر بالندم لعودتك لمدينة الموصل لأنها سجن كبيرالان , لا احد يجرأ لفعل اي شيء حتى ان يحلم " لم استطع البوح بكلمه , غير يقال . و تلك هي القصة خلف هذه المقطوعة .
عندما كنت هناك قال الكل " انت تشعر بالندم لعودتك لمدينة الموصل لأنها سجن كبيرالان , لا احد يجرأ لفعل اي شيء حتى ان يحلم " لم استطع البوح بكلمه , غير يقال . و تلك هي القصة خلف هذه المقطوعة .
8. Tears Of Flowers
When the storm came I was worried about this one, she was about to born about to breath her first tone then I survived when she did.
When the storm came I was worried about this one, she was about to born about to breath her first tone then I survived when she did.
دمع ورد
.عندما جاءت العاصفة كنت قلقا بشأنها , كانت على وشك ان تولد , على وشك ان تتنفس لأول مرة نغمتها الاولى , فنجوت انا حين نجت
.عندما جاءت العاصفة كنت قلقا بشأنها , كانت على وشك ان تولد , على وشك ان تتنفس لأول مرة نغمتها الاولى , فنجوت انا حين نجت
9. First Momento - The Birth
A flipped end is a beginning, a flipped beginning is a birth , a flipped dream is a fact.
A flipped end is a beginning, a flipped beginning is a birth , a flipped dream is a fact.
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اللحظة الاولى... الولادة
.النهاية المقلوبه بداية , البداية المقلوبة ولادة , الحلم المقلوب حقيقه |
Mosul, Iraq. Photo by Ameen Mokdad.
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10. A Day in the Prince Kingdo0m
When the sound of logic disappear and the hope faded away the war say's the final word. But there is always a hidden truth makes us blooming again .
When the sound of logic disappear and the hope faded away the war say's the final word. But there is always a hidden truth makes us blooming again .
يوم في مملكة جحيم الامير
عندما يختفي صوت المنطق و يتبخر الامل تنطق الحرب الكلمة الحسم
و لكن هنالك دوما حقيقة خفيه تجعلنا نزهر من جديد.
عندما يختفي صوت المنطق و يتبخر الامل تنطق الحرب الكلمة الحسم
و لكن هنالك دوما حقيقة خفيه تجعلنا نزهر من جديد.
11. Kaholo Fajher
The dawn had eyes, and the eyes had a nice liner holding a new hope and sometimes a dream.
The dawn had eyes, and the eyes had a nice liner holding a new hope and sometimes a dream.
كحل فجر
للفجر عيون كحيلة
. تحمل املا جديدا و ربما حلم
للفجر عيون كحيلة
. تحمل املا جديدا و ربما حلم
Mosul, Iraq. Photo by Ameen Mokdad
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12. The Curve- Scene No. 333
In a story of a bird there was a curve . |
المنعطف ...المشهد 333
في قصة عصفور
.كان هنالك منعطف
في قصة عصفور
.كان هنالك منعطف
13. Hope in God
The great soul inside our hearts
The wings we have
The light.
The great soul inside our hearts
The wings we have
The light.
أمل بالله
الروح العظيمة التي في قلوبنا
الاجنحة التي نملكها
.الضوء
الروح العظيمة التي في قلوبنا
الاجنحة التي نملكها
.الضوء
14. Viaggio
The sand is the ocean's steps.
The sand is the ocean's steps.
سفر
سفر لعالمنا المبلل بالمطر
.سفر يلاحقه سفر
سفر لعالمنا المبلل بالمطر
.سفر يلاحقه سفر
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15. Sognatore the Third
Pour your bullets in my eyes Tear my heart Cut the ribs of my chest And chew me , swallow me Be a knives tears all my body Be a fire and burn me Be a mirror, broken one Wound me I'm not waiting anymore Waste my days my years Hurry up, come on Close the prison door Sing when you torture me Torture then kill me My patience is no longer here My body is no longer weak The bell of war is no longer silent Come on, listen to me My war exploded on you My fire flames throws My great sword and it blade All bayonets are prepared Your sadist tyranny ended its role And my spears rained Nothing is hidden from you today No !! believe me It saved all the wishes Till I made you eat me Swallow me My poison will flow in your veins In heart of your eyes And your red peace will not remain a slogan A shield that protects you when you betrayal me Today your sick flags are falling Today my dream elevates me Today victory over a victory Today my rivers will prevail by fingertips of who holds me Pour your bullets in my eyes Tear my heart cut my ribs And chew me, swallow me And if you like, spit me out But you definitely and against your will one day You desire me, to eat me Then you eat me Then I will be free out of the closed prison door To became a flooding poison in the body of how slaved me How Killed me Today my dream elevates me Today my dream elevates me Today my dream elevates me Today a victory over victory over victory Today my rivers will prevail by fingertips of who holds me You are not any longer my goal At all You are not any longer my goal You are not any longer my goal You are not and will never be . |
الحالم الثالث
صبي رصاصك في عيوني مزقي قلبي قطعي اضلاع صدري و امضغيني و ابلعيني كوني سكاكينا تمزق كل جسمي كوني حريقا و احرقيني كوني كمرآة مكسره تمزقلي متوني ما عدت اختار انتظارا مل عدت اختار انتظارا هدر ايامي سنيني اسرعي بالفعل هيا اوصدي باب السجون غني و انت تعذبيني عذبي ثم اقتليني لم يعد صبري جميل لم يعد جسمي نحيل لم يعد ناقوس حرب نائما هيا اسمعيني حربي عليك تفجرت ناري تهيج توجرت سيفي العظيم و نصله كل الحراب تحضرت جبروتك السادي انهى دوره و رماح حقدي امطرت لا شيء يخفى عنك هذا اليوم كلا صدقيني وفرت كل الامنيات حتى جعلتك تأكليني تبلعيني سمي سيسري في عروقك تارة و في لب العيون و سلامك القاني لن يبقى شعارا و عباءة تحميك ان شئت تخوني اليوم تسقط راياتك الشمطاء اليوم حلمي يرتقيني اليوم نصر فوق نصر اليوم انهاري تفجرها انامل حامليني صبي رصاصك في عيوني مزقي قلبي قطعي اضلاع صدري و امضغيني و ابلعيني و ان شئت ابصقيني لكنك حتما و رغما عنك يوما تشتهيني لتأكليني فتأكليني و اغادر السجن المحصن بابه و اصير سما نافذا بجسم ساجنيني قاتليني اليوم حلمي يرتقيني اليوم حلمي يرتقيني اليوم حلمي يرتقيني اليوم نصر فوق نصر فوق نصر اليوم انهاري تفجرها انامل حامليني ما عدت مبلغ غايتي لا ما عدت مبلغ غايتي ما عدت مبلغ غايتي ما عدت انتي و لن تكوني |
16. Over a Mountain
After I lost all of my instruments I thought no music will find the way to me until she came .
After I lost all of my instruments I thought no music will find the way to me until she came .
فوق جبل
.عندما خسرت كل آلاتي الموسيقية تخيلت بان الموسيقى لن تجد طريقها الي مرة اخرى حتى جاءت هي
.عندما خسرت كل آلاتي الموسيقية تخيلت بان الموسيقى لن تجد طريقها الي مرة اخرى حتى جاءت هي
17. Secret
Down there
near the sky.
Down there
near the sky.
سر
هناك تحت
.قرب السماء
هناك تحت
.قرب السماء
18. Lips
All what you say
All what you get .
All what you say
All what you get .
شفاه
.كل ما تقوله هو ما ستحصل عليه
.كل ما تقوله هو ما ستحصل عليه
19. Yosur
In the darkest days, our feeling runs in two lines: the line of tiredness, anger and sadness, and the line of happiness and peace. A line that takes us to screaming, revolution and crying, and a parallel line that takes us to smile and calmness. It is not a contradiction, but a harmony. A line expressing the reality that surrounds us, as a feeling or as a place. A line that expresses our need and our thirst for peace in that reality. Yosur is sharp evidence coming from the second line. A whispering inspiration says: "After any hardship there is peace and ease, even if the darkness stayed long".
In the darkest days, our feeling runs in two lines: the line of tiredness, anger and sadness, and the line of happiness and peace. A line that takes us to screaming, revolution and crying, and a parallel line that takes us to smile and calmness. It is not a contradiction, but a harmony. A line expressing the reality that surrounds us, as a feeling or as a place. A line that expresses our need and our thirst for peace in that reality. Yosur is sharp evidence coming from the second line. A whispering inspiration says: "After any hardship there is peace and ease, even if the darkness stayed long".
يسر
في اشد الايام حُلكة، يسير احساسنا في خطين: خط التعب والغضب والحزن، وخط الحاجة للهدوء والسلام. خط يأخذنا الى الصراخ والثورة والبكاء، وخط يوازيه يأخذنا الى البسمة والسكينة. ليس الامر تناقضا بل هو التناغم. فخط يعبر عن واقع يحيط بنا، في الاحساس او في المكان. وخط يعبر عن حاجتنا وعطشنا للسلام تحت ذلك الواقع. يسر هي دليل قادم من وحي الخط الثاني. وحي يهمس: "ان بعد العسر سلامُ ويُسر، وان طال بنا الظلام
في اشد الايام حُلكة، يسير احساسنا في خطين: خط التعب والغضب والحزن، وخط الحاجة للهدوء والسلام. خط يأخذنا الى الصراخ والثورة والبكاء، وخط يوازيه يأخذنا الى البسمة والسكينة. ليس الامر تناقضا بل هو التناغم. فخط يعبر عن واقع يحيط بنا، في الاحساس او في المكان. وخط يعبر عن حاجتنا وعطشنا للسلام تحت ذلك الواقع. يسر هي دليل قادم من وحي الخط الثاني. وحي يهمس: "ان بعد العسر سلامُ ويُسر، وان طال بنا الظلام
