Red Lounge with Bakr Khleifi – June 10, 2018

Bakr Khleifi is a young Palestinian musician from Ramallah who has already performed in prestigious venues around the world after becoming member of Barenboim’s West Eastern Divan Orchestra at the early age of twelve. For the Willy Brandt Center he prepared a rich and colourful journey showcasing male and female composers from Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Morocco, Palestine and Turkey.

Bakr was born in Jerusalem and studied in Ramallah, Tel Aviv and Gothenburg receiving further artistic impulses in New York and Europe. The versatile artist plays the oud and the double bass and virtuously shifts between the classical, contemporary and traditional music world.
Bakr’s inspiring performance incorporated a variety of musical styles and rhythms and took us on a journey across different centuries and regions. The audience curiously followed his explanations about the characteristics and history of the respective pieces. The final highlight was the world premiere of his first own composition.

The evening concluded on the terrace of the Willy Brandt Center where the audience gathered to meet the artist and enjoy some Ramadan delights together.

We are looking forward to Bakr Khleifi’s participation in future projects of the Willy Brandt Center. He will perform at the upcoming Jazz Journeys in cooperation with the UNESCO and our Orfeo music theatre project.