HIGHER PITCHED:

The Cellist Of Baghdad (Ann Marlowe 09.11.08, Forbes)

Karim Wasfi, co-conductor of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra, will play cello today in the seventh annual Musicians for Harmony concert at Merkin Concert Hall in New York City. Tickets are available online or by calling 212-501-3330.

"Our orchestra is a tool for refining the culture. Classical music is not merely an entertainment opportunity. It can teach how to manage disagreements, how a civilized person functions in life."

So far Karim Wasfi, the musical director and co-conductor of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra (INSO), sounds like many other earnest spokesmen for classical music around the world. But his next remark suggests the depth of the obstacles he contends with daily:

"Our orchestra can show people in Iraq why they should love life, not death." In the U.S., we don't necessarily worry that those unfamiliar with classical music might become suicide bombers. But in Iraq, life is lived at a higher pitch.

"Our audience prefers more romantic, fiery, flamboyant compositions. Not so much Mozart and Hayden. Next season, I am introducing Wagner, Bruckner and Mahler," says Wasfi, a tall, powerfully built 36 year old whose own tastes run to Stravinsky, Brahms, late Beethoven and Mahler.

The 75 musicians of the INSO range in age from 25 to 75 and include five women and representatives of nearly all of Iraq's ethnic groups, including Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds and Turkmen, as well as Shiite and Sunni Arabs. [...]

Recently the INSO performed at the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon for an audience of thousands of young members of the religious Dawa Party, which is linked to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Organizing a concert in Iraq these days can require some unusual measures.

"I got a fatwa stating that classical music is not haram"--forbidden under Islam--Wasfi explains. "These young people felt that they were honored by our playing for them. And they represent the future of our country. If we can get them involved with this kind of music…"