Live concert takes old maqam music into young Iraqis' hearts

STORY: Live concert takes old maqam music into young Iraqis' hearts DATELINE: Dec. 16, 2022 LENGTH: 00:03:22 LOCATION: Baghdad CATEGORY: CULTURE SHOTLIST: 1. various of Iraqi maqam singers singing on the stage of the al-Baghdadi Museum 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Arabic): BASIM AL-ENZII, Head of tourism affairs at the al-Baghdadi Museum 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Arabic): SAMER AL-ASMAR, Maqam singer STORYLINE: In an old building near the Tigris River running through Baghdad, a weekly-staged music ensemble of Iraqi maqam offers the audience a nostalgic journey into the past everyday life of the Iraqi capital. Perhaps in the robust cultural scene of modern-day Iraq, it was uncommon to see young people root for this traditional form of music, but the Friday live concerts held by the al-Baghdadi Museum broke this usual rule. A lead singer appeared on stage accompanied by a five-member orchestra, named Chalghi, playing the oud, fiddle, dumbek, and a small tambourine called daff. Swaying to the ornate songs that flew from the sing