Damascus String Quartet performs at opera house

Damascus String Quartet perform on stage in Syria The Damascus String Quartet on Sunday performed a concert for Culture and Arts opera house. The event took place at Damascus Opera House , officially Dar al-Assad for Culture and Arts - which is the national opera house of Syria. Inaugurated in May 2004, it is located in central Damascus, on the Umayyad Square.
The band, which consists of Ra\'ad Khalaf and Firas Sarmini on the violin, Ihab Abu al-Fakkher on the viola, and Basilius Awwad on the cello, performed a variety of pieces including String Quartet No 7 and No 11 by Dmitri Shostakovich, then switching from western classical music to oriental music with traditional songs from Iraq.
The Damascus String Quartet was formed in 1988 by Ra\'ad Khalaf along with original members Athil Hamdan, Andre Maalouli and Maria Arnaout. The Quartet specialises in performing world classical pieces and works of noted Arab musicians, performing concerts in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Armenia, Italy and France.
Source: SANA