The Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music was a

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

n orchestra dedicated to the performance of classical

Arabic music Arabic music or Arab music ( ar, الموسيقى العربية, al-mūsīqā al-ʿArabīyyah) is the music of the Arab world with all its diverse music styles and genres. Arabic countries have many rich and varied styles of music and also man ...

, as well as experimental work based on traditional music from the Middle East. The orchestra played regular concerts in the

Damascus Opera House , native_name_lang = ar , image = Damascus Opera House.jpg , image_size = , image_alt = , caption = Damascus Opera House at the Umayyad Square (2010) , alt = , image_map ...

since its opening in 2004. Due to the ongoing Syrian civil war, most of its members, like its principal conductor and

oud , image=File:oud2.jpg , image_capt=Syrian oud made by Abdo Nahat in 1921 , background= , classification= * String instruments *Necked bowl lutes , hornbostel_sachs=321.321-6 , hornbostel_sachs_desc=Composite chordophone sounded with a plectrum , ...

virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'' or , "virtuous", Late Latin ''virtuosus'', Latin ''virtus'', "virtue", "excellence" or "skill") is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as ...

Issam Rafea Issam Rafea, also written Essam Rafea (, born 1971 in Kuwait), is a Syrian musician, music director and composer, noted for his compositions and performances on the Arabic oud, as former director of the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Musi ...

, or Moslem Rahal, a notable

ney The ''ney'' ( fa, Ney/نی, ar, Al-Nāy/الناي), is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian music and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played continually ...

player, have left Syria for

exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

in Europe, the US or other countries.

Guest artists with British band Gorillaz and award-winning film score

The Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music became known internationally for collaborating with British

virtual band In entertainment, a virtual band (also called a virtual idol, virtual singer, virtual group, cartoon group, cartoon idol, cartoon singer or cartoon band) is a band or music group whose members are not depicted as corporeal musicians, but animat ...

Gorillaz Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guitar, ...

on their ''

Plastic Beach ''Plastic Beach'' is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. Conceived from an unfinished project called ''Carousel'', th ...

'' album track "White Flag". In 2010, the Syrian musicians also played this song live as guest artists on the British band's

Escape to Plastic Beach Tour The Escape to Plastic Beach Tour was a concert tour by the British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz in support of their third studio album '' Plastic Beach''. During the tour, Damon Albarn recorded '' The Fall'', described by Albarn as a ...

. In 2016, they were featured in the Gorillaz song "Crashing Down", over the credits of '' The White Helmets'', a

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional film, motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". Bill Nichols (film critic), Bil ...

Orlando von Einsiedel Orlando von EinsiedelPeople of Today 2017 / Lucy Hume (born in August 1980) is a British film director. He directs mostly documentary films that investigate global social issues, and has filmed in various places around the world, including Africa ...

on the Syrian organisation of the same name. The song is an unreleased track from the album ''Plastic Beach'', but the original vocals by

Damon Albarn Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual ...

were absent, instead featuring Arabic lyrics. The film later won the

Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) This is a list of films by year that have received an Academy Award together with the other nominations for best documentary short film. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are annou ...

at the 89th Academy Awards.

References

Syrian orchestras Syrian culture Syrian musicians {{syria-stub