VZCZCXRO8857
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DE RUEHMK #0989/01 1570741
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 060741Z JUN 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANAMA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4887
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MANAMA 000989 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/PPD CWHITTLESEY 
STATE FOR ECA/PE/C/CU DSCHUMAN, SBEALE, SROUSE 
DOHA FOR PAO 
DHAHRAN FOR PAO 
RIYADH FOR PAO 
KUWAIT FOR PAO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM OEXC SCUL KPAO PREL BA BILAT
 
SUBJECT:  "The Sapphire Trio:  American Women in the Arts" 
Makes Freedom of Expression Real for Bahraini Women 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  The all-women American chamber ensemble The Sapphire 
Trio performed American and classical music in Bahrain from 
May 15th through May 17th, providing Bahraini audiences with 
a glimpse of the diversity of expression and talent in the 
American musical arts community.  Partially funded by a 
Performing Arts Initiative grant to Embassy Manama, The 
Sapphire Trio gave two major concert performances, delivered 
lectures and demonstrations, gave master classes and 
workshops with student and professional musicians, 
participated in joint rehearsals with local artists, and 
gave print and radio interviews.  Perhaps most significantly 
the three highly successful women musicians and artists 
provided a model of empowerment for Bahraini women.  End 
Summary. 
 
¶2.  The Sapphire Trio is composed of clarinetist Maxine 
Ramey, violinist Margaret Baldridge, and pianist Jody 
Graves.  Based in Missoula, Montana, The Sapphire Trio 
derives its name from a mountain range along the Montana- 
Washington border.  The trio formed in 1998 to explore the 
newly created and uniquely American concert literature for 
clarinet, violin, and piano.  Their repertoire consists of 
works by American composers such as James Niblock, Rick 
Sowash, Peter Schickele, Paul Seiko Chihara, Gerald 
Krumbholz, and George Gershwin.  The artists are active 
soloists, chamber musicians, and clinicians, and they appear 
regularly in performances and festivals throughout the 
United States.  They have performed in Germany, Austria, and 
Japan, and with this tour of the Gulf region, Bahrain, 
Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. 
 
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Concert Performances 
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¶3.  The cornerstone of The Sapphire Trio program was two 
high profile concert performances.  On May 15th the trio 
performed at the Ibrahim Al Arrayedh Poetry House in the 
downtown of Bahrain's capital, Manama, under the sponsorship 
of Sheikha May bint Khalifa Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for 
Culture and National Heritage in the Bahrain Ministry of 
Information.  The concert was recorded and broadcast on the 
Bahrain National Arabic-language television station, Channel 
¶55.  Drawing a crowd of about 100 Bahrainis in the music and 
arts community who are only tangentially acquainted with 
American musical styles outside of jazz and blues, the Trio 
entertained and educated with interlaced musical sets and 
mini-talks in which they described the origins of the music 
they were performing, the international roots of American 
music, and vignettes of their personal experiences as woman 
musicians.  Retelling stories such as the origins of the 
famous clarinet "shmear" that opens Gershwin's Rhapsody in 
Blue emphasized American ingenuity and improvisation in the 
musical statements of American artists. 
 
¶4.  The ensemble gave a concert performance on May 16th at 
the Ambassador's residence for a crowd of 150, drawing from 
a wide range of government Ministry, private sector, and 
diplomatic contacts of the Embassy along with members of 
Bahrain's non-governmental organizations and women's 
societies including the Bahrain Women's Society, the Supreme 
Council of Women, the Bahrain Businesswomen's Society, the 
Awal Women's Society, the Bahrain Women's Development 
Society, the Society of Women Academic Professionals, and 
others.  The concert provided an opportunity to spotlight 
American women musicians in a way that strengthened the 
Embassy's relationship with prominent women's social and 
advocacy groups.  (Comment:  Although women have appeared on 
the scene of popular music in Bahrain and more broadly in 
the region in recent years, performing instrumental and 
classical music of a more traditional nature is still 
considered in the domain of men.  As a result, even today 
there are enormous social barriers preventing women from 
attaining excellence in musical and artistic expression. 
End Comment.)  Many of the women in attendance commented 
that it was the first time they had seen professional women 
musicians together in concert and that they were impressed 
women in America could become professional musicians. 
 
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Joint Rehearsal Produces Arab and American Fusion 
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MANAMA 00000989  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶5.    The Trio engaged in a joint rehearsal with the Bahrain 
National Orchestra, a chamber orchestra of mixed strings, 
flute, and piano, which is dedicated to performing 
traditional and 20th Century Arabic music, along with Arabic 
transcriptions of western music.  With Margaret Baldridge at 
the center of the violin section, Maxine Ramey in duet with 
the BNO flutist, and Jody Graves beside pianist Noor Al 
Qassim, the orchestra rehearsed pieces by Arabic composers 
Fareed Al Atrash and Fairooz Al Rahabani along with piano 
features by Frederick Chopin set in Arabic style.  The 
rehearsal periodically paused for discussion of ensemble 
music technique, similarities and differences in Arabic and 
western style and performance, and for short selections from 
the Trio.  The rehearsal was recorded and spotlighted as a 
20-minute arts feature on Bahrain National Television 
Channel 55. 
 
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Master Class with Police Band Furthers Women's Empowerment 
with Bahraini Men 
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¶6.  The Trio conducted a round of master classes with the 
violin and clarinet sections of the all-male Bahrain Police 
Band.  Musicians in this ensemble spend their entire careers 
performing military marches for official state functions 
with no exposure to female colleagues.  Despite initial 
skepticism about being instructed by female musicians, 
especially among the older, more traditional players, the 
workshops concluded with resounding approval: a melee of 
questions from the players about technique, musicianship, 
and sources for solo and small ensemble sheet music and 
recordings.  One junior clarinetist commented that he 
learned more in the single day of workshops than in all his 
years of study.  The Trio also conducted master classes in 
violin, clarinet, and piano for students at the Bahrain 
Music Institute and a workshop in piano teaching for the 
Piano faculty at the Bahrain Music Institute and several 
Bahrain secondary schools. 
 
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Media Coverage for Broader Impact 
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¶7.    The visit and activities were exceptionally well 
covered by the Bahrain media.  In addition to the concert 
and arts feature broadcast on Bahrain TV's Channel 55, the 
Trio participated in a round of press interviews with 
journalists from Arabic daily newspapers, a feature 
interview with Bahrain's Woman This Month magazine, and a 
live interview with Radio Bahrain.  Infusing their 
commentary with coverage of the various performances and 
events produced eleven newspaper articles in Bahrain's five 
Arabic and two English language dailies. 
 
¶8.  Articles and commentaries following the performances 
illustrate the transformative impact arts and culture 
programming can have, even when our audiences are at odds 
with US policy in the region.  For example, conservative 
columnist Abdulla Al Abbasi praised the Trio in a June 1 
commentary in Al Watan, saying they had put a whole new face 
on America.  "These are the types of ambassadors we would 
like to see America send to our region, its ambassadors of 
arts and culture, not its Marines and bloodshed." 
 
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Follow-on Activities 
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¶9.  The Sapphire Trio musicians established strong 
relationships with the Bahraini musicians they met.  They 
plan to send sheet music, recordings, and music accessories 
to many of the young musicians at the Bahrain Music 
Institute as well as the Police Band.  Maxine Ramey is 
working with Mubarak Najem, Director of the Bahrain Police 
Band, on a music exchange to bring a corps of Police Band 
members to perform at a music festival in the United States. 
In addition, post is working with Jody Graves and Margaret 
Baldridge to create a series of music student exchanges by 
DVC with Bahraini music students and students at Eastern 
Washington University and the University of Montana. 
 
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Comment 
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MANAMA 00000989  003 OF 003 
 
 
¶10.  The impact of this kind of cultural program cannot be 
overstated.  Many of our contacts marveled at this display 
of American culture and stressed the importance of cultural 
outreach in winning over skeptics of American society and 
values.  Since September 11, 2001 and the onset of the 
Global War on Terrorism, cultural programs have steadily 
declined in Bahrain.  We applaud ECA's Performing Arts 
Initiative for supporting this vital effort to increase 
mutual understanding in Bahrain and the Gulf region.  Now is 
the time to bring cultural programs back in earnest, to 
remind the region that America's strength is not just its 
military and political muscle, but the creativity, free- 
expression, and leadership qualities of its society.  End 
Comment. 
 
¶11.  Post wishes to thank the Performing Arts Initiative for 
their generous underwriting of The Sapphire Trio:  American 
Women in the Arts program.  Post also wishes to thank PAS 
Doha, PAS Dhahran, and PAS Kuwait for their collaboration in 
programming the ensemble for a 4-country regional tour with 
regional impact. 
 
MONROE