In Friday’s (6/1) Independent (London), Adam Sherwin writes, “A performance by the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq will be one of the highlights of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe after the Scottish Government helped finance the musicians’ debut UK visit using the seized proceeds of crime. The orchestra was formed in 2009 by Zuhal Sultan, a then 17-year-old pianist. She sought recruits through social networking sites and the group now numbers 46 self-taught Kurdish, Arab, Turkmen and Assyrian musicians aged 25 or under, united by a mission to educate young people from across Iraq in classical music. … The orchestra’s musical director, Paul MacAlindin from Aberdeen, launched an appeal to bring the youngsters to his home country. The Edinburgh trip was in doubt after the orchestra struggled to raise the £250,000 required. … The Scottish Government’s £100,000 contribution has been allocated from a £13.9m haul seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act. The money was confiscated from Scottish engineering company the Weir Group, which admitted breaching UN sanctions against Iraq. … The Iraqis will spend three weeks working with the Edinburgh Youth Orchestra before the 26 August concert at Greyfriars Kirk.”
Posted June 1, 2012
