Middle East Peace Orchestra
Biography
The Middle East Peace Orchestra is a unique collaboration between various ethnic groups of professional musicians, who are all connected to the Middle East. Henrik Chaim Goldschmidt founded the orchestra in 2003 inviting Arab and Jewish musicians to play the treasure of music of both great traditions, playing concerts for peace.
The musicians come from Israel, The Palestine areas, Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Scandinavia and are all handpicked virtuosos representing the best of their traditions and furthermore they all have the courage to engage in this project.
The music performed has elements from Jewish "Klezmer", from Middle Eastern "Makam" and from the classical Arab music. The Orchestra has been received with the greatest enthusiasm by both audience and press since the very first concert.
The Orchestra made its World Premiere with 7 concerts in Scandinavia in January 2004 and has since been touring the World. It visits the greatest concert halls and the smallest places to spread the message of peace through music. The Orchestra has performed in great prestigious festivals, in the streets, in schools, at hospitals, with prisoners in jails, with refugee-children and everywhere there is a need for dialogue through music.
The public interest is enormous; a Swedish Film Company "CINergy Film" has made a full documentary about the project, the Danish National Radio and Television has covered the performances in Denmark and abroad. Back-up from official political authorities has been substantial with supportive letters from The Foreign Minister, The Cultural Minister and the Minister for Integration in Denmark.
Henrik Goldschmidt
Henrik Goldschmidt is solo oboist of the Royal Danish Orchestra. He is a member of The Danish Wind Octet, which won the Danish Chamber Music Competition’s First Prize in 1991 and a Grammy award for best classical release in 1993.
Henrik Goldschmidt has received a number of music awards, a. o. the Jakob Gade Award in 1983 and the Royal Danish Theatre Award in 1994. His EMI recording “Phantasy –music for Oboe” from 1996 was for eight successive weeks voted no. 1 album on “The Classical Hit List” of the Danish Radio Broadcast Company. In 2010 he received the H. C. Lumbye prize for his great musicianship and his ability to reach out to large audiences.
Goldschmidt has performed with leading orchestras including The Berlin Philharmonic and has been selected to represent his country in The World Symphony Orchestra. As a Jewish musician Goldschmidt’s playing has been described as “the best klezmer oboe playing in the world”. He has founded “Shlechte Kapelle” and “Klezmer Zahav” and thus he has introduced the oboe into a completely new context.
Goldschmidt composes contemporary Jewish music and has written music for his bands, for films, theatre plays and special occasions like the opening of the Jewish Museum in Denmark.
Copenhagen Artists represents Middle East Peace Orchestra world wide.