THE APPLE HILL STRING QUARTET RETURNS TO JORDAN AND REACHES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 002559 SIPDIS ECA/PE/C/CU BARROSSE; NEA/PPD AGNEW AND JACZYNKA; NEA/ELA GREGONIS E.O. 12958, as amended: N/A TAGS: SCUL KPAO JO XF XI OEXC OIIP SOCI SUBJECT: THE APPLE HILL STRING QUARTET RETURNS TO JORDAN AND REACHES NEW AUDIENCES ¶1. SUMMARY: PAS Amman hosted the award-winning ensemble, the Apple Hill String Quartet, in a series of concerts, performances, and musical workshops in Aqaba, Ma'an and Amman, engaging a diverse audience of more than 1,000 with their inspiring renditions of classical and contemporary chamber music. The Quartet's three-day program, November 8-10, 2009, bolstered the Mission's outreach efforts through engaging a significant number of young, underprivileged Jordanians from social and religious conservative areas in the south of Jordan. Press coverage of the Quartet's visit was extensive and positive. This program, a part of the Embassy's celebration of 60 years of U.S.- Jordan diplomatic and development ties, underscored Embassy Amman's commitment to encouraging mutual understanding and creating a sense of goodwill toward the U.S. among our target audience. Post will sponsor a $6,000 scholarship for a promising Jordanian musician to study at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music summer program in 2010. END SUMMARY On The Road Again -------------- ¶2. During their three-day program in Jordan, the Apple Hill String Quartet performed two separate concerts in the Red Sea port of Aqaba on November 8 and 9 at the Aqaba Chamber of Commerce theater, one for students from the newly opened University of Jordan-Aqaba campus, and the other with students from public and private schools from the southern governorates of the Kingdom. Both concerts drew a full house of more than 300 attendees. On November9, the Quartet performed in Ma'an, an area of Jordan known for its religious and social conservatism, at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University with an educational and interactive performance to a student crowd of more than 250. This successful event marked the Embassy's re-engagement with a community whose social and religious conservatism often curbs PAS's ability to program social and cultural activities. Apple Hill Educates -------------- ¶3. In each of the outreach events, the Quartet delivered a unique, accessible performance to the students, many of whom had never heard of chamber music and were unfamiliar with the string quartet as a performing ensemble. These educational performances included an interactive component in which the Quartet solicited unsuspecting audience members to join them on stage and perform a piece entitled "Fantasia on One Note." On Tuesday, November 10,, the Quartet offered a master class at the National Music Conservatory for students of the Jordanian Military Symphony. The novice members of the Symphony received individual and small group coaching instruction from the members of the Quartet and were encouraged to continue in their classical music studies. AUDIENCES OPEN TO CLASSICAL MUSIC -------------- ¶5. The Apple Hill String Quartet ended their tour in Jordan with an evening public concert at the Al-Hussein Cultural Center. In the packed hall of more than 220 fans, the Quartet performed pieces by Haydn, Schumann, and Sedqwick, a well-balanced program of the Classical, Romantic, and Contemporary eras. Although chamber music is a form of music that is generally not well-known to Jordanian audiences, the Apple Hill String Quartet managed to make the unfamiliar familiar to Jordanians of all ages and socio-economic backgrounds. APPLE HILL IN THE PRESS -------------- ¶6. Post deployed a number of new media advertising tools to promote the program, including online social media platforms like Facebook and SMS messaging. The Quartet received extensive and positive media coverage in Jordan's main daily papers, including an exclusive in the arts and culture section of the leading Al-Ghad newspaper. Radio Station Mood FM aired an exclusive interview with Apple Hill Artistic Director Lenny Matczynski, and first violinist Elise Kuder. Normina television station aired an interview with the Quartet and PAS staff on its weekly show entitled "Here is Amman," while also airing the concert in its entirety on the station's daily show, "Shouf Fi Ma Fi," i.e. "What's Going On." Al-Hurra television station also provided full coverage of the Amman public concert. IMPACT -------------- ¶7. The Apple Hill String Quartet's visit to Jordan demonstrated Embassy Amman's commitment to bringing American cultural events to AMMAN 00002559 002 OF 002 areas off the beaten path and to audiences whose social and religious conservatism have left them unfamiliar with such programming. The Quartet also helped to train and promote Jordan's next generation of artists and performers through providing mentoring opportunities with world-class American musicians. And to that end, PAS Amman will sponsor a $6,000 scholarship for a promising Jordanian musician to study at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music in the Summer of 2010. ¶8. Post strongly endorses the Apple Hill String Quartet. They are experienced and talented musicians, professional performers and educators, and friendly guests whose large network of Jordanian supporters and alumni remind us that there remains an important role for musical groups in bridging cultures and in strengthening outreach to varied audiences. BEECROFT