Musicians from the Amman Symphony Orchestra in Jordan are collecting 5,000 signatures for an online petition to save their ensemble from folding due to proposed government budget cuts. The orchestra is scheduled to close at the end of the 2011-12 season in July if the proposed cuts are put into effect by the Greater Amman Municipality, allotted by the Prime Ministry of Jordan. The Amman Symphony—Jordan’s only professional orchestra—performs weekly concerts in downtown Amman and tours throughout the country. Its members also teach both Arabic and Western music to young people. The orchestra’s musicians come from within Jordan and from countries including the U.S., Iraq, Taiwan, South Korean, Germany, Colombia, Peru, the U.K., Armenia, Romania, and Russia.
Posted May 16, 2012
