Suhail Y. Khoury
Born
in Jerusalem in 1963, Suhail Khoury began his musical career early on as
a Clarinet player with the College de la Salle school band, Rainless Reindeers,
in 1977. He moved on to play the Clarinet and Saxophone with various Palestinian
bands such as Sanaabel (the Birzeit University band), and Sabreen (Jerusalem
based music ensemble). In 1983 he joined the music school at the University
of Iowa, USA, where he studied music performance and musicology. As a musician,
he plays the oriental Ney, the Clarinet, Saxophone, and Piano.
As a composer, he has made several contributions to the Palestinian musical scene, including: music for dance productions (Marj Bin Amer - El Funoon Palestinian folk dance group - 1989), children's songs (Marah - CD/tape of children's songs and Matar - CD of children's songs).
His musical band, Washem, founded in 1995, produced a one-of CD entitled "Ashiqa" after which it was dismantled. Khoury's talents extend beyond music to include choreography, sound engineering, and management of cultural projects. Some of the positions he has held have been: co-founder and Director of the Popular Art Center; founder and director of the Palestine International Festival for Music and Dance; artistic director of El Funoon dance group; music teacher in a variety of schools; and Director of the department of music and dance in the ministry of culture. Since 1996, he heads the National Conservatory of Music. The only official academic institute for music, the Conservatory has taken gigantic steps over the past three years towards developing a new generation of musicians in Palestine by strengthening and enriching its staff and curricula and ensuring international recognition.
Working as cultural consultant for a variety of public institutions including the Ministry of Culture and the Bethlehem 2000 project, Suhail Khoury has played an important role in guiding cultural policy in Palestine. His artistic contributions, whether as a composer or musician, have left a strong imprint on the development of contemporary Palestinian music. Whether in the score itself or the instruments used, Khoury's compositions tend to reflect a strong rootedness in the traditional Palestinian culture, infused with an equally strong western influence. This combination makes his music a bridge between cultures, never losing touch with the one while keeping the arms extended towards the other. This approach, which could easily result in alienating the average artist, has helped Khoury keep a healthy balance between the two predominant influences tugging away at contemporary Palestinian music and culture in general.