In partnership with the Skeleton Park Arts Festival, KEYS Job Centre will co-present Syria’s The Orontes Quartet at 3pm June 22 in Skeleton Park. These classically trained Syrian guitarists were brought to Canada by The IIE-Artist Protection Fund (IIE-APF), a grants program that provides threatened artists host institutions in safe countries where they can continue their work and plan for their futures.
The IIE-Artist Protection Fund had initially made plans for the quartet to take refuge in the United States, however the introduction of Donald Trump’s travel ban just before the group’s departure made this impossible. The University of Victoria stepped forward as a new host institution and the quartet arrived in Canada last November.
The Orontes Quartet are the first Canadian-based recipients of this prestigious fellowship grant. “It means a lot for us to be here in Canada.” says group member Gaby Al Botros. “It’s calm, safe and beautiful, the people are kind and welcoming. It’s a perfect atmosphere to concentrate and think about music”.
The Orontes Quartet’s performance will provide an opportunity to celebrate the growth of the Syrian community in Kingston over the past few years and the economic, social and cultural benefits they have brought with them. Since Kingston was selected as a destination for Government-Assisted Refugees in 2016, KEYS Job Centre and Kingston Community Health Centre (KCHC) have helped to welcome more than 300 refugees, many from Syria, in addition to those who arrived in Kingston through private sponsorship.
“As the Orontes Quartet, we hope to change how people think about Syrians,” says Al Botros. “We want to get to know as many people as possible so they know Syria is not what they think, that it’s something completely different, and Syrians are just victims of war.”
Vital to the local resettlement effort are the Kingstonians who have volunteered on family support teams. The role of these volunteers is to support newcomer families through their transition and to help them with everyday tasks of life in Canada. It’s a neighbourly role, to draw newcomers into the community and build friendships. “It has been really inspiring to see the ways in which community is built through this program and the impact that volunteers and newcomers can have on each other’s lives.” Says Michael Harris, Executive Director of KEYS Job Centre, “Music has a similar power to bring people together, to offer hope and joy, and we are very pleased to co-present the Orontes Quartet at the Skeleton Park Arts Festival.”
Date: Saturday, June 22nd, 3PM
Where: Skeleton Park