Homs-Sana
With the participation of one hundred male and female musicians and singers, the Patriarchal Choirs of Saint Ephrem the Syriac in Damascus and the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary “Umm Al-Zinar” in Homs, in cooperation with the Mosaique Ensemble, performed a Christmas evening on the occasion of Christmas at the House of Culture in Homs.
The participants in the evening, which was organized by the Central Region Tourism Chamber, in cooperation with the Syriac Orthodox Archdiocese of Homs, Hama and Tartous, and the Safir Hotel Homs performed a bouquet of hymns in different languages of Arabic, Syriac, Indian and Aramaic, which express the holiness of Christmas and its meanings radiating joy and optimism for the New Year. Shadi Emile Sarwa, the leader of the Saint Ephrem al-Syrian band in Damascus, explained in an interview with SANA that the band, which includes forty male and female musicians and singers of different ages, wanted through the evening to preserve the warmth of Christmas and to join the people of Homs to celebrate these glorious and hopeful holidays.
In turn, Iskandar Joshua, choir leader of the Cathedral of the Virgin Mary in Homs, pointed out that this evening is one of the choir’s activities and its tireless quest to participate in the Syrian cultural musical life, as it has previously participated in many musical forums, including the forum of Syrian choirs with several choirs at the level of Syria with the aim of exporting our Syriac culture and heritage, which It is still intangible and needs to be defined and highlighted.
Dr. Mario Boutros, founder of the “Mosaic” troupe, explained that what distinguishes the evening is the meeting of the two choirs with the musicians of the ensemble and their merging to form one harmonious ensemble performing and playing. Seven players out of thirty-five members of the ensemble participated in the evening. What gave it a special luster.
The evening was attended by a wide audience of religious, social and cultural figures.
Hanan Sweid
