"The Sapphire Trio: American Women in the Arts"

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000989

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/PPD CWHITTLESEY
STATE FOR ECA/PE/C/CU DSCHUMAN, SBEALE, SROUSE
DOHA FOR PAO
DHAHRAN FOR PAO
RIYADH FOR PAO
KUWAIT FOR PAO

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM OEXC SCUL KPAO PREL BA BILAT

SUBJECT: "The Sapphire Trio: American Women in the Arts"
Makes Freedom of Expression Real for Bahraini Women

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Summary
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1. The all-women American chamber ensemble The Sapphire
Trio performed American and classical music in Bahrain from
May 15th through May 17th, providing Bahraini audiences with
a glimpse of the diversity of expression and talent in the
American musical arts community. Partially funded by a
Performing Arts Initiative grant to Embassy Manama, The
Sapphire Trio gave two major concert performances, delivered
lectures and demonstrations, gave master classes and
workshops with student and professional musicians,
participated in joint rehearsals with local artists, and
gave print and radio interviews. Perhaps most significantly
the three highly successful women musicians and artists
provided a model of empowerment for Bahraini women. End
Summary.


2. The Sapphire Trio is composed of clarinetist Maxine
Ramey, violinist Margaret Baldridge, and pianist Jody
Graves. Based in Missoula, Montana, The Sapphire Trio
derives its name from a mountain range along the Montana-
Washington border. The trio formed in 1998 to explore the
newly created and uniquely American concert literature for
clarinet, violin, and piano. Their repertoire consists of
works by American composers such as James Niblock, Rick
Sowash, Peter Schickele, Paul Seiko Chihara, Gerald
Krumbholz, and George Gershwin. The artists are active
soloists, chamber musicians, and clinicians, and they appear
regularly in performances and festivals throughout the
United States. They have performed in Germany, Austria, and
Japan, and with this tour of the Gulf region, Bahrain,
Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

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Concert Performances
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3. The cornerstone of The Sapphire Trio program was two
high profile concert performances. On May 15th the trio
performed at the Ibrahim Al Arrayedh Poetry House in the
downtown of Bahrain's capital, Manama, under the sponsorship
of Sheikha May bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for
Culture and National Heritage in the Bahrain Ministry of
Information. The concert was recorded and broadcast on the
Bahrain National Arabic-language television station, Channel

55. Drawing a crowd of about 100 Bahrainis in the music and
arts community who are only tangentially acquainted with
American musical styles outside of jazz and blues, the Trio
entertained and educated with interlaced musical sets and
mini-talks in which they described the origins of the music
they were performing, the international roots of American
music, and vignettes of their personal experiences as woman
musicians. Retelling stories such as the origins of the
famous clarinet "shmear" that opens Gershwin's Rhapsody in
Blue emphasized American ingenuity and improvisation in the
musical statements of American artists.


4. The ensemble gave a concert performance on May 16th at
the Ambassador's residence for a crowd of 150, drawing from
a wide range of government Ministry, private sector, and
diplomatic contacts of the Embassy along with members of
Bahrain's non-governmental organizations and women's
societies including the Bahrain Women's Society, the Supreme
Council of Women, the Bahrain Businesswomen's Society, the
Awal Women's Society, the Bahrain Women's Development
Society, the Society of Women Academic Professionals, and
others. The concert provided an opportunity to spotlight
American women musicians in a way that strengthened the
Embassy's relationship with prominent women's social and
advocacy groups. (Comment: Although women have appeared on
the scene of popular music in Bahrain and more broadly in
the region in recent years, performing instrumental and
classical music of a more traditional nature is still
considered in the domain of men. As a result, even today
there are enormous social barriers preventing women from
attaining excellence in musical and artistic expression.
End Comment.) Many of the women in attendance commented
that it was the first time they had seen professional women
musicians together in concert and that they were impressed
women in America could become professional musicians.

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Joint Rehearsal Produces Arab and American Fusion
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5. The Trio engaged in a joint rehearsal with the Bahrain
National Orchestra, a chamber orchestra of mixed strings,
flute, and piano, which is dedicated to performing
traditional and 20th Century Arabic music, along with Arabic
transcriptions of western music. With Margaret Baldridge at
the center of the violin section, Maxine Ramey in duet with
the BNO flutist, and Jody Graves beside pianist Noor Al
Qassim, the orchestra rehearsed pieces by Arabic composers
Fareed Al Atrash and Fairooz Al Rahabani along with piano
features by Frederick Chopin set in Arabic style. The
rehearsal periodically paused for discussion of ensemble
music technique, similarities and differences in Arabic and
western style and performance, and for short selections from
the Trio. The rehearsal was recorded and spotlighted as a
20-minute arts feature on Bahrain National Television
Channel 55.

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Master Class with Police Band Furthers Women's Empowerment
with Bahraini Men
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6. The Trio conducted a round of master classes with the
violin and clarinet sections of the all-male Bahrain Police
Band. Musicians in this ensemble spend their entire careers
performing military marches for official state functions
with no exposure to female colleagues. Despite initial
skepticism about being instructed by female musicians,
especially among the older, more traditional players, the
workshops concluded with resounding approval: a melee of
questions from the players about technique, musicianship,
and sources for solo and small ensemble sheet music and
recordings. One junior clarinetist commented that he
learned more in the single day of workshops than in all his
years of study. The Trio also conducted master classes in
violin, clarinet, and piano for students at the Bahrain
Music Institute and a workshop in piano teaching for the
Piano faculty at the Bahrain Music Institute and several
Bahrain secondary schools.

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Media Coverage for Broader Impact
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7. The visit and activities were exceptionally well
covered by the Bahrain media. In addition to the concert
and arts feature broadcast on Bahrain TV's Channel 55, the
Trio participated in a round of press interviews with
journalists from Arabic daily newspapers, a feature
interview with Bahrain's Woman This Month magazine, and a
live interview with Radio Bahrain. Infusing their
commentary with coverage of the various performances and
events produced eleven newspaper articles in Bahrain's five
Arabic and two English language dailies.


8. Articles and commentaries following the performances
illustrate the transformative impact arts and culture
programming can have, even when our audiences are at odds
with US policy in the region. For example, conservative
columnist Abdulla Al Abbasi praised the Trio in a June 1
commentary in Al Watan, saying they had put a whole new face
on America. "These are the types of ambassadors we would
like to see America send to our region, its ambassadors of
arts and culture, not its Marines and bloodshed."

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Follow-on Activities
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9. The Sapphire Trio musicians established strong
relationships with the Bahraini musicians they met. They
plan to send sheet music, recordings, and music accessories
to many of the young musicians at the Bahrain Music
Institute as well as the Police Band. Maxine Ramey is
working with Mubarak Najem, Director of the Bahrain Police
Band, on a music exchange to bring a corps of Police Band
members to perform at a music festival in the United States.
In addition, post is working with Jody Graves and Margaret
Baldridge to create a series of music student exchanges by
DVC with Bahraini music students and students at Eastern
Washington University and the University of Montana.

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Comment
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10. The impact of this kind of cultural program cannot be
overstated. Many of our contacts marveled at this display
of American culture and stressed the importance of cultural
outreach in winning over skeptics of American society and
values. Since September 11, 2001 and the onset of the
Global War on Terrorism, cultural programs have steadily
declined in Bahrain. We applaud ECA's Performing Arts
Initiative for supporting this vital effort to increase
mutual understanding in Bahrain and the Gulf region. Now is
the time to bring cultural programs back in earnest, to
remind the region that America's strength is not just its
military and political muscle, but the creativity, free-
expression, and leadership qualities of its society. End
Comment.


11. Post wishes to thank the Performing Arts Initiative for
their generous underwriting of The Sapphire Trio: American
Women in the Arts program. Post also wishes to thank PAS
Doha, PAS Dhahran, and PAS Kuwait for their collaboration in
programming the ensemble for a 4-country regional tour with
regional impact.

MONROE