In a complex and divided world, one Williamsburg concert aims to bring people together through the intrinsic power of music. With Saturday’s “Refugees Welcome” event, the College of William and Mary’s Middle Eastern Music Ensemble and several guest artists celebrate diverse music and diverse people while raising money for local refugee resettlement.
“I think it’s going to be a really extraordinary show of musical traditions of world music,” said Anne Rasmussen, a professor of ethnomusicology at the college.
Imad Al Taha, an Iraqi violinist and composer who recently resettled in the U.S. with his family, will appear as a guest artist. Rasmussen described his musical style as simultaneously traditional and modern.
Al Taha has experienced life as a refugee. Rasmussen said she hopes to change perceptions about what it means to experience such a life.
“It’s just important to put a face and also, I think people feel helpless,” she said.
Also joining the ensemble onstage are Danis Sugiyanto, a Fulbright artist and teacher in residence at the college from Central Java, Indonesia, and Rumput, a Richmond-based Indonesian string band.
“In terms of musical wealth and diversity, I’d give the concert a 10 out of 10,” Rasmussen said.
She’s also a firm believer that in face of such a politically charged topic, in which discrimination such as Orientalism and Islamophobia can permeate the conversation, music can lead to healing and remind people of their power to make a difference.
“I feel like it’s my duty to bring some nuance to that understanding. And our ensemble has always played a role in that mission,” Rasmussen said. “We put a name and a face and a culture to this part of the world that people, I think, mostly just want to know more about.”
Want to go?
“Refugees Welcome” is at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Kimball Theatre. Tickets are $15 or $5 for students, available at the Kimball box office, kimball.wm.edu or 800-249-0179.
All proceeds and onsite donations support area refugee resettlement.
Birkenmeyer can be reached by phone at 757-790-3029.
