After the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, clarinetist Kinan Azmeh performed at the Juilliard School. Inspired, artist Kevork Mourad immediately suggested a partnership.
The performance grew into a blend of artistic expressions – the music of Azmeh’s clarinet melded with Mourad’s painting. It wasn’t tied neatly together until Azmeh met artistic director Sarah Siddiqui on the way to a rally to protest the U.S. presence in Iraq.
Brought together by the same beliefs about the turmoil in Iraq, the three translated their message of song and picture through an ancient story, The Epic of Gilgamesh.
With ambitions to start her own arts organization since her freshman year at the university, Siddiqui created ZaMZaM Arts. Gilgamesh was a part of her vision almost a decade ago.
Siddiqui explains the purpose of ZaMZaM Arts is to unite communities and build understanding between different parts of the world.
“The most important thing for ZaMZaM Arts is to do innovative, cutting-edge work and inspire young adults to imagine, believe and create a world they want,” Siddiqui says. “I am disturbed by the current state of our country and the world, and I think that ZaMZaM’s show can be a catalyst for change.”
Dedicated to bringing underrepresented groups, such as those from South Asia, the Middle East and Eurasia, to the theater, Siddiqui wanted to highlight the diverse communities of the country.
“There’s so much beyond what we see,” Siddiqui says, “The more you delve into it, the more you get to know the culture and the art.”
As artistic director of ZaMZaM Arts, Siddiqui employed the talents of Mourad and Azmeh. While this combination may seem to pair two very different mediums in performance, Azmeh insisted they are similar in many ways.
“The main difference is that music is something you experience with time and art is something you look at for one second,” Azmeh says. “The interaction between the artists is the key. I think that we are going to create a new vocabulary for chamber music.”
For Mourad, the connection between the art and music also proves essential for the performance, saying the show would be incomplete without one element.
“Overall, I consider art and music to be the same – only a different language,” Mourad says. “They complement each other well.”
The Epic of Gilgamesh tells the tale of King Gilgamesh, a man whose reign encompassed what would have been modern- day Iraq some 5,000 years ago. The story brings a message of peace seemingly nonexistent in the country today.
While Mourad is Armenian, both Azmeh and Mourad were originally from Syria and say they felt strongly about this story about their homeland.
“What inspired us to do Gilgamesh is that we think it is important to preserve the history and culture of Iraq and share it with an American audience,” Azmeh says. “Number one, we want to raise questions in terms of what the country is about and, number two, we are bridging a gap that is very important to bridge.”
Mourad agrees, emphasizing how important it is for Iraq to be cast in a different essence than just in the spotlight of war.
“We thought about how we would … show that part of the world is not only what you see on TV and news,” Mourad said.
Siddiqui is especially excited about sharing Gilgamesh with the university.
“We were able to put something together that we all believe in and share it with College Park, professors and the community,” Siddiqui says.
Contact reporter Kristi Tousignant at diversions@dbk.umd.edu.
