TIME: 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT | PLATFORM: Zoom | REGISTER: bit.ly/nashwanviolino
For our final #MigrationMonday during Genocide Awareness Month, join us on a musical and poetic odyssey with 28-year old Syrian violinist Nashwan Abdullah and his violin. Nashwan will share his story of surviving the Syrian War, playing for pennies on street corners around the world, and finding safe refuge in the United States. Of course, he will also invite us to experience the music and poetry that inspired his resilience each step of the way. This event is sure to open your mind, fill your heart, and nourish the soul. Find Nashwan on Instagram if you can’t wait like us! @nash.violin.
REGISTER: bit.ly/nashwanviolino
About Nashwan Asef Abdullah
Nashwan Asef Abdullah is a Syrian violinist who has travelled the world performing and studying music. Born in Yemen in 1992, Nashwan began his studies of the violin at the age of nine when he was inspired by the poetry of his father, Asef Abdullah. Asef was a Syrian contemporary poet, writer, and scholar. In 2013, Nashwan received his Bachelor of Music Education with a concentration in violin from The central university in Syria. Also in 2013, he started a project to compose and improvise music for literary works such as poetry, novels, and short stories. He continues to work on this ambitious undertaking to this day.
Nashwan started to work toward his Diploma of Music Education at Damascus University in Syria, but had to discontinue his studies in 2014 due to the ongoing war. In August of the same year, he established an open music workshop to keep the music community alive during the violence of war.
In early 2015, he travelled to Istanbul, Turkey and played music with many artists from all over the world at the Beyoglu Street Festival. Since August 2015, he has resided in the United States, and completed his graduate studies in music performance at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in (2017). While in the master’s program, he was the First Chair in the IUP Symphonic Orchestra, and continues to perform with many local and regional artists of many genres; from classical to jazz.
Though he has completed his formal music education at the present time, he continues to study the violin and also provides lessons to students of his house. He has been a presenter on Middle Eastern music, poetry at various universities in the United States including (iup, Saint Francis, Carson Newman). In addition to music, he enjoys writing and has been translating the poetry of his father into English for future publication.