Playing for Peace: Music by Karim Wasfi

  • October 17, 2019
  • 7 to 8:30 P.M.
  • Auditorium
Cellist Karim Wasfi performs while seated onstage in this wide-angle photo of the Museum Auditorium. His bright orange-brown cello contrasts with the blue lights of the stage. The silhouettes of audience members are visible in the foreground.
Photo by Monika Graff

Celebrated cellist Karim Wasfi performs a site-specific musical composition for those affected by the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 9/11 attacks. The former conductor of Iraq's Symphony Orchestra gained international recognition after taking his cello out into the streets of Baghdad, in a deliberate act of resistance, and giving improvised performances at the sites of recent car bombs. Wasfi discusses his experience in cultural diplomacy and shares how he uses music for healing, cross-cultural integration, de-radicalization, and counterterrorism.
 

Photos

  • Cellist Karim Wasfi gestures with both hands as he speaks to a woman hosting a public program at the Museum Auditorium. He is wearing a gray brocade jacket and a black tie. The woman is turned toward him as she listens in the foreground.
  • This wide-angle photo of the Museum Auditorium shows Cellist Karim Wasfi and a woman hosting the event seated onstage in the distance. Wasfi has his hands clasped together as he speaks. A wall behind the two participants is lit blue and features the logo of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
  • Cellist Karim Wasfi performs while seated onstage at the Museum auditorium. His eyes are closed as if he’s concentrating. His right hand grasps the bow as his left hand moves along the strings. His bright orange-brown cello contrasts with the blue lights of the stage. The silhouettes of several audience members are visible in the foreground.
  • Cellist Karim Wasfi performs with eyes closed while seated onstage in the Museum Auditorium. His bright orange-brown cello contrasts with the blue lights of the stage.
  • Cellist Karim Wasfi performs while seated onstage in this wide-angle photo of the Museum Auditorium. His bright orange-brown cello contrasts with the blue lights of the stage. The silhouettes of audience members are visible in the foreground.
Photos by Monika Graff

Videos

Karim Wasfi performs and speaks about his music at a program at the 9/11 Memorial Museum.

2019_1017_Karim Wasfi_Full
Full Program

Videos

  • 2019_1017_Karim Wasfi_Highlight-1_(Caps)
    HIGHLIGHT CLIP
  • 2019_1017_Karim Wasfi_Highlight-2_(Caps)
    Highlight Clip

Other Resources

Through the inaugural 9/11 Memorial & Museum Summit on Security, presented by Fiserv, public programs in 2019 were made possible by Accenture, ADP, AT&T, BlackRock, Deloitte, GNYHA Ventures, Inc., Goldman Sachs, PepsiCo Foundation, and UL LLC.