Walls Are Tumbling Down

Intercultural cantata as musical protest

"We are people who many believe cannot get along. But it is precisely our differences that make us stronger - we make music together, celebrate this diversity and find a deep friendship in it." I. Quraishi

Public dress rehearsal

10.2.2025

20:00

Little House, Staatsschauspiel Dresden

Glacisstr. 28, 01099 Dresden

Duration: 40 minutes

Admission: free

Project page: https://t-m-a.de/projekte/walls-are-tumbling-down

On 10 February 2025, Dresden will become the centre of an international theatre festival. On 10 February 2025, Dresden will be the centre of a special artistic event: Eunice Martins and Ibrahim Quraishi will make a powerful statement against exclusion, hatred and prejudice with their intercultural cantata Walls Are Tumbling Down.

Inspired by the story of the fall of Jericho, shofar, percussion, electronics, singing and rebellious sounds merge to create an impressive message - a passionate appeal for solidarity, resistance and change.

This interreligious, experimental composition is an artistic response to social grievances. The cantata combines Jewish, Arabic, West and East African musical traditions and reflects daring, protest and resistance. It is in the tradition of the protest song and addresses topics such as discrimination, migration and solidarity. Historical references reinforce the universal message of humanity and cohesion.

Since June 2024, Martins and Quraishi have not only been working on putting together a temporary ensemble of over 20 musicians, but have also been composing the cantata in a participatory process. The majority of this ensemble consists of artists living in Dresden. Jewish, Muslim, Arabic, Afro-German and Saxon voices unite with narratives in Hebrew, Arabic, Yiddish and German. This unique work sends a clear signal against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and racism.

The rehearsals took place in symbolic locations that reflect the challenges faced by marginalised groups in Germany. The dress rehearsal will be presented as part of the Staatsschauspiel Dresden's Monday Café - a transcultural meeting place where migration and culture can be experienced as living processes. Here, the cantata becomes a dialogue about social cohesion and a celebration of what unites us.

The narrative voices within the cantata are spoken by Dorothea Wagner (DE), Leon Glauning (DE), Komi Togbonou (DE/TG), Khalid Abubakar (SO/LU) in German, Arabic, Yiddish and Hebrew. Some of the rehearsals took place in public  and in symbolic locations that reflect the challenges of life for people in marginalised positions in Germany.

Composition: Ibrahim Quraishi (/KE/US/FR/DE)  / Eunice Martins  (DE/BE/PT)

Concept development: Gabriel Smeets (NL) 

Arranger: Hiroyo Masumura (JP/AT)


Conductor: Sara Isabel Grajales Tamayo (CO/AT)

Musicians/ensemble:
Composition: Ibrahim Quraishi / Eunice Martins

Yara Abou Fakher (SY/DE) - violin, Diana Bikbaev (UA) - viola, Danielle Akta (IL/DE) - cello, Katrin Meingast (DE) - cello, Avery Gosfield (US/IT) - shofar, flute, Isabell Warm (DE) - flute, Elisabeth Becker (DE) - oboe, Eduardo Mota (BR/DE) - percussion, Georg Wieland Wagner (DE) - marimba, vibraphone, Samuel Dietze (DE) - percussion, Shimon Friedberg (IL) - shofar, David Limburger (IL) - shofar, Dorothea Wagner (DE) - soprano, Leon Gauning (DE) - baritone, Komi Togbonou (DE/TG)- speaker, Khalid Abubakar (SO/LU) - speaker, Synagogalchor der Jüdischen Gemeinde zu Dresden and the youth chamber choir of the Singakademie Dresden under the direction of Michael Käppler (DE).

Space design : Luka Murovec (DE/SI)

Interactive sound architects: Steffen Armbruster, Uli Dziallas, USOMO.de

Video/editing/camera: Andreas Ullrich (DE), Rubén González Escudero (ES/DE)

Video installation: Ibrahim Quraishi

"WALLS are Tumbling Down" is a project by Ibrahim Quraishi and Eunice Martins, which was realised in close collaboration with the Monday Café of the Staatsschauspiel Dresden, the Dresden Synagogue Choir Association, the PRPGND Fundacja Propaganda Warsaw, the C. Rockefeller Center for the Contemporary Arts Dresden, the CYNETART platform and Netzwerk | Medien | Kunst Dresden. The project is being realised by art.revolution and Katrin Meingast.

"WALLS are Tumbling Down" is supported by the Musikfonds and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, as well as the Ministries of Culture and the Arts of the federal states, and with funds from the City of Dresden, Office for Culture and Monument Protection and the Foundation Art and Music for Dresden and the Network Media Art Dresden (NMK).