Damascus Festival Chamber Players

This project aims at soothing down obstacles that may prevent Arab musicians (both residents and expatriates) from collaborating by creating a pan-Arab musical team in the form of a professional chamber music ensemble that can present works by contemporary Arab composers as well as western classical works. It is part of this ensemble’s mission to present and record works by contemporary Arab composers and to encourage young composers in the Arab world.
The project was launched through a ten days residency in Damascus, Syria in March 2008 for selected Arab performers and composers, during which they exchanged ideas and thoughts, drew future plans, presented master-classes to musicians and students at the "Higher Institute of Music" in Damascus and gave its first concert on March 13th at the Damascus Opera House part of the "Damascus Cultural capital of the Arab world 2008" activities.
The Syria Trust for Development commissioned all the works presented by the DFCP, and all received their world premieres on March 13th 2008 at the Damascus Opera House. The album “Syrian Contemporary Chamber Music” was released in November 2008.