"Violin Diplomacy"

I was quite surprised to turn on New England Cable News today and see the success of the New York Philharmonic’s journey to North Korea where they performed a 90 minute concert in the East Pyongyang Grand Theatre, as described in this story on Boston.com.



As an American, it was exhilarating to see United States and North Korean diplomats standing side-by-side listening to the orchestra perform the Star Spangled Banner and North Korea’s national anthem. And, as an amateur musician who has performed in concert and marching bands since elementary school, it was equally gratifying to realize music – particularly classical music, a genre that seems to be slipping away from the American cultural scene – brought these two arch enemies together, at least for 90 minutes.

The orchestra chose several American pieces, including works by Gershwin and Bernstein, and a theme from a Korean folk song. And, they played Antonin Dvorak’s “Symphony No. 9: From the New World.” Ironically, as the Globe points out, this piece was written from the perspective of an immigrant arriving in New York City, something North Korea prohibits many of its citizens from doing.

Dvorak’s symphony also has an important place in my heart. In 2002, when I was in the marching band at Salem, N.H. High School we were invited to perform in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and chose “New World Symphony,” as our music. Since this was just a little more than one year after the September 11th attacks, our performance included formations that spelled the abbreviations “USA” and “NYC.”

From a journalists’ prospective, North Korea provided unprecedented access, including the Internet and almost unrestricted international phone lines, according to the story And the country’s only television station broadcast the entire concert, in marked contrast to the typical policy of animosity towards all foreign things.

Despite the seemingly openness and easing of tensions, there were still some propaganda signs depicting North Korea’s hostility towards America. But, hopefully, in 50 years this concert will be looked upon as the first stepping stone in a long road to peaceful relations with North Korea. And to think, it could have all started with a few notes from the oldest symphony orchestra in America.

Finally here’s a link to a New York Times story and video. I thought the lead on this was fantastic and truly painted a picture of the scene in North Korea. There are also some pictures, video and other new media elements on the Times site.