The Damascus Opera House hosted on Monday evening, a Jazz Organ concert as part of the Organ and Music Festival Syria 2025. Led by Aghiad Mansour and the Damascus Jazz Sextet, and in collaboration with flutist Hadi al-Khayat, the concert blended the classical organ, oriental identity, and global jazz spirit.
The performance marked the 25th anniversary of the construction of the monumental Organ of the Opera House, was held in cooperation with the Terra Sancta Organ Festival.
The oriental flute, or Ney, added a unique charm to the performance, blending its sensitive tones with the rhythms of Western jazz, creating a captivating fusion.
Dulama Shehab, the music supervisor at the Opera House, told SANA, “We aim to perform jazz music using our Arabic instruments. By choosing the Ney instead of the flute, we deliver a message that embodies the meeting of cultures.”
The organ is an ancient instrument, invented by the Greek engineer and mathematician Ktesibios of Alexandria during the Ptolemaic period in Egypt. It spread through Greece and Rome, later reaching Europe via the Byzantines, where it became central to religious music and court ceremonies before moving to classical concert halls. Today, the organ is a key instrument in major opera houses worldwide.
