OVERVIEW
Love and loss. Home and hope. Grammy-winning Iraqi-American composer and oud player, Rahim AlHaj leads the New Zealand String Quartet, double bassist Joan Perarnau Garriga and percussionist Justin DeHart to perform Letters from Iraq.

AlHaj, a man with first-hand knowledge of oppression and torture under Saddam Hussein’s regime and a deep love for the people of his native Iraq, recounts a specific story with each piece. To listen is to experience the heartbreak, loss, and day-to-day journeys of so many Iraqi citizens. An inspired and loving tribute to people in dire conditions, who still press forward.

MUSICIANS
Rahim AlHaj (oud)
Justin DeHart (hand percussion)
Helene Pohl (violin)
Monique Lapins (violin)
Gillian Ansell (viola)
Rolf Gjelsten (cello)
Joan Perarnau Garriga (double bass)

PROGRAMME
SAMUEL BARBER | String Quartet, op. 11
RAHIM ALHAJ | Dream (solo oud)
RAHIM ALHAJ | Letters from Iraq