Lifestyle FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017 Former Baghdad conductor's music is his message for unity

hen a bomb tore through a restaurant the start of the Egyptian Revolution that over- or business in Baghdad, Karim Wasfi threw President Hosni Mubarak - the "Arab Wand his cello would often appear with Spring" that sparked a wave of self-determina- the urgency of a medic to promote his message tion across the region. "It created lots of change, of healing through music. The former conductor not only in Egypt but in the Middle East," he of the Baghdad Symphony often drew a crowd recalled, acknowledging that the struggle con- of curious onlookers as he played - others des- tinues today. "The experience I also have from perate for peace and unity. On Wednesday, Iraq is creating calmness, creating tranquility Wasfi brought that message to the White House, and creating better ways to prevent tension or This file photo shows Co-founder and drew a similar crowd of onlookers facing radicalization, to help people to find better ways and President of Tibet House New their own challenges. to convey and to interact," he said York, Philip Glass. — AFP The half-Iraqi, half-Egyptian cellist and Wasfi himself immigrated to the US in 1995 founder of the organization Peace Through Arts and as a dual citizen divides his time between played serene classical tunes in Lafayette Park in the US and Iraq. He acknowledged the impor- Carnegie Hall plans Washington, across the street from the new tance of addressing the global refugee crisis home of President Donald Trump. Karim Wasfi, the former conductor of the and radicalism that has afflicted Iraq and neigh- Alongside him, protests swelled, condemn- Baghdad Symphony, plays his cello is boring Syria, but he urged everyone to "calm season of Glass ing an effort by Trump to suspend the issuance Lafayette Park near a protest about President down and approach the facts" instead of deal- of US visas in countries where adequate screen- Donald Trump's immigration policies in ing with tensions through rash policies or vio- ing cannot occur. The president is expected to Washington. — AP lence. "There is lots of tension everyplace," he for anniversary suspend immigrant and non-immigrant entry said. "If we disagree on political views and ide- for citizens of countries of particular concern for "detrimental to US interests." He is expected to ologies, we can utilize our energy toward build- eading contemporary composer Philip 30 days. That could include Iran, Iraq, Libya, specifically suspend any immigration, including ing and improving. So I hope to help create Glass is celebrating his 80th birthday Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Federal law gives for refugees, from Syria. calmness and better ways to interact through Lwith a season that will bring a range of Trump broad authority to suspend immigration Wasfi said that he came to the White House music." — AP his music to Carnegie Hall, the venue for groups of people whose entry is deemed in part to commemorate the sixth anniversary of announced Wednesday. Unveiling its 2017- 18 season, the venerated New York concert hall named Glass to a year-long composer's residency and announced concerts of some of his well-known as well as some more denies obscure works. Glass, who turns 80 on Jan 31, will take part personally in a performance of "Music with Changing Parts," one of his most influ- ential pieces. "Music with Changing Parts" adoption bid premiered in 1970 but has rarely been per- formed in recent years. It is a key work of pop superstar Madonna on adopt two children, was not immediately available musical minimalism that inspired the ambi- Wednesday denied applying to adopt to comment after her denial. Madonna's charity is ent sound of Brian Eno, the producer and UStwo more Malawian children while vis- funding a surgical unit for children at the Queen In this file photo, Shia LaBeouf arrives at the collaborator of David Bowie. Among more iting the country where she runs a charity, and Elizabeth hospital in Blantyre, the commercial hub Los Angeles premiere of "Man Down" at recent Glass works, Carnegie Hall will stage where she has previously been embroiled in con- of Malawi. The 58-year-old singer last visited the ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood. — AP 2006's "The Passion of Ramakrishna." The troversy. An official at the High Court in the capital hospital in July, taking her two adopted Malawian orchestra piece, accompanied by a massive Lilongwe had earlier told local and international children with her. choir, focuses on the 19th-century Indian reporters that the court was assessing her applica- Actor Shia LaBeouf mystic as he faced death from debilitating tion to adopt two local children. Madonna, who set Adoption controversy throat cancer. up children's charity Raising Malawi in the poverty- The star was stripped of VIP status by former The work will be performed by stricken southern African nation in 2006, adopted president Joyce Banda's government in 2013 and arrested outside New California's Pacific Symphony, which will Malawian children David Banda in 2006 and Mercy accused of being "uncouth" and wanting eternal also present a piece from "Passages," an James in 2009. gratitude from the country for her adoptions. But album Glass wrote with sitarist Ravi Shankar. Local media reports said the singer had Banda was ousted in 2014 elections and the new York City museum The late maestro's daughter Anoushka appeared at the court on Wednesday, accompa- president, Peter Mutharika, moved to repair rela- Shankar, herself a sitarist and composer, will nied by two unidentified children, before being tions, saying "my government has always been ctor Shia LaBeouf was arrested early yester- play it at Carnegie Hall. As it increasingly driven away in an SUV vehicle. "I am in Malawi to grateful for the passion Madonna has for this coun- day after he allegedly got into an altercation looks to expand beyond traditional classical check on the children's hospital in Blantyre and my try". Last July, Madonna said she would not revive with another man outside a New York City performances, Carnegie Hall will also mark other work with Raising Malawi and then heading plans for a $15 million (14 million euro) academy A museum where he has been chanting "He will not the season with a series exploring the legacy home," Madonna told US magazine People in a for girls in Malawi, which was cancelled amid alle- divide us" in front of a live camera since Donald of the 1960s in the United States. statement. "The rumors of an adoption process are gations of mismanagement-leading to her tiff with Trump's inauguration. Police said LaBeouf pulled The series will feature veteran folk/rock untrue." Lilongwe High Court spokesman Mlenga Banda.—AFP the scarf of an unidentified 25-year-old man out- singer David Crosby and will include events Mvula, who had said that Madonna had applied to side the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, across New York. The program was devised scratching his face in the process. They said he also with Robert A. Caro, the Pulitzer Prize-win- pushed the man, who refused medical attention. ning biographer of President Lyndon LaBeouf has spent the first few days of Trump's Johnson. Other highlights will include a sev- presidency swaying, dancing and repeating the en-concert "Perspectives" series of selected phrase "He will not divide us" in front of a live cam- works by a rising star from Russia, 25-year- era outside the museum. The livestream is for a old pianist Daniil Trifonov. Janine Jansen participatory public art project LaBeouf and two was chosen to do a separate five-part series collaborators intend to have running 24 hours a for violin. The season will begin on October day for the next four years. 4 as the Philadelphia Orchestra-led by The camera went live the morning of the inau- Yannick Nezet-Seguin, incoming music guration, along with a website inviting the public director of the Metropolitan Opera-marks to show up and participate. LeBeouf has been a the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein's frequent, though not constant presence. birth. The concert will include the symphon- This file photo taken on April 2, 2013 shows US Pop Star Madonna (second left) sitting with Technically, the project from LaBeouf and his per- ic dances of "West Side Story" and will also her biological and adopted children (left to right) David Banda, Lourdes, Mercy James and formance art partners isn't about opposition to feature pianist Lang Lang, who will perform Rocco at Mkoko Primary School, one of the schools Madonna's Raising Malawi organization Trump, LaBeouf told The Associated Press in an a separate world-famous work, Gershwin's has built jointly with US organization BuildOn, during the visit of Madonna in the region of interview conducted on Monday in front of the "Rhapsody in Blue." — AFP Kasungu, central Malawi. — AFP livestream camera.—AP