BUILDING BRIDGES THROUGH MUSIC
By Hinda Mandell – Tuesday September 5 2006

Jewish Advocate , MA
Aug 5 2006

Yuval Ron Ensemble gives rousing performance

Can four musicians onstage provide the key to world peace?

It’s a tall order, but if the Yuval Ron Ensemble has its way, the
answer is an astounding yes.

The ensemble performed Sunday at Brandeis University’s Slosberg Recital
Hall in a benefit concert for locally-based Progressive Pictures,
a production company at work on a documentary of the ensemble and
its effort to resolve conflict through music.

The audience was a willing participant in this social experiment;
by the concert’s end, the ensemble had people on their feet, clapping
and humming along. There was not an unsmiling face in the house.

The Yuval Ron Ensemble was established in 1999, with musicians
from Muslim, Christian and Jewish backgrounds. Sunday’s performance
featured music director Yuval Ron, an Israeli from Tel Aviv, vocalist
Najwa Gibran, a Christian Lebanese-Palestinian woman born in Haifa,
wind instrumentalist Yeghish Manukyan from Armenia and Jamie Papish,
a percussionist from Los Angeles.

While the group prides itself on the diversity of its musicians, it’s
the world-class musicianship that drives home the ensemble’s message.

Melodies thousands of years old wafted through the recital hall,
haunting, lovely and filled with history. Manukyan played a tune on
his duduk, a traditional Armenian instrument made from the wood of
an apricot tree, that has roots during the time of the ancient Temple.

In addition to the specific Sephardic, Sufi and Arabic songs, the
ensemble also performed melodies that had roots in all of these
traditions.

These are musicians who are masters of their craft, whether it’s
a seemingly-exotic shvi flute or a drum. Vocalist Gibran easily
shifted from Hebrew to Arabic in her songs; her voice is an
exceptional instrument. For more information on the group, which
tours internationally, visit More information
on Progressive Pictures can be found at