:00:11. > :00:13.Over ten years ago, a remarkable orchestra played in Damascus,
:00:14. > :00:16.performing Arabic music at the highest level.
:00:17. > :00:31.But when war broke out in 2011, some of the musicians were forced
:00:32. > :00:47.This is the story of an attempt to bring the orchestra back together
:00:48. > :00:51.for a once-in-a-lifetime tour, in the hope of changing the world's
:00:52. > :01:26.Since the beginning of the war in Syria, an estimated 9 million
:01:27. > :01:32.people have fled their homes in search of a new life.
:01:33. > :01:44.He claimed asylum in America in 2013 after being invited to teach music
:01:45. > :01:54.I watch bombs, I watch all kind of military issues,
:01:55. > :02:06.and nobody knows when the bomb will come.
:02:07. > :02:08.Did you know people have been killed?
:02:09. > :02:13.A lot, you know, a lot of my friends, a lot
:02:14. > :02:20.His father and sisters are still living in Damascus.
:02:21. > :02:26.Syria, what does Syria mean for me, actually,
:02:27. > :02:38.Hopefully this will be, like, a bad dream, maybe,
:02:39. > :02:56.Before the war, he, his sister and brother all played
:02:57. > :03:01.in the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music.
:03:02. > :03:05.Issam took over the orchestra in 2003 and conducted them for ten
:03:06. > :03:10.years, touring Europe and the Middle East.
:03:11. > :03:17.When he left, he didn't know if he would ever lead them again.
:03:18. > :03:25.International organisers are trying to bring the orchestra to Europe
:03:26. > :03:27.for a one-off tour that would reunite musicians
:03:28. > :03:32.from inside Syria and those now living abroad, like Issam.
:03:33. > :03:37.This is our dream, actually, my dream.
:03:38. > :04:00.Issam wrote this piece for the orchestra while he was still
:04:01. > :04:11.Since the outbreak of war, it is almost impossible to get visas
:04:12. > :04:20.He is very stressed, because he was so busy lately
:04:21. > :04:23.writing all this stuff and worried about the music, the visa.
:04:24. > :04:31.So, yeah, you can see, look, he lost a lot of weight.
:04:32. > :04:38.Issam might also be unable to travel.
:04:39. > :04:42.With his ongoing asylum claim, there is a risk he won't be given
:04:43. > :04:45.permission to leave the US, but that hasn't stopped him
:04:46. > :04:56.How will you feel if the visa doesn't come through?
:04:57. > :05:09.I mean, for sure, it is out of my hands or anybody's hands,
:05:10. > :05:12.but it is better to try and keep fingers crossed,
:05:13. > :05:30.Like Issam, many members of the orchestra are now refugees.
:05:31. > :05:34.More than 100,000 Syrians have applied for asylum in Germany
:05:35. > :06:14.And it is now home to violinist Susan, originally from Aleppo.
:06:15. > :06:21.She has settled into life in Germany and teaches music to refugee
:06:22. > :06:37.children recently arrived from Syria.
:06:38. > :06:39.Since becoming a refugee, music has become even more
:06:40. > :07:26.She joined the orchestra as a music student in Damascus and hasn't
:07:27. > :07:53.While music has helped Susan, for some refugees it is simply
:07:54. > :08:00.a painful reminder of everything they have lost.
:08:01. > :08:08.He played in the orchestra before fleeing to Sweden with his young
:08:09. > :09:08.He is one of the foremost kanun players in Syria and for him
:09:09. > :09:10.the upcoming concerts are an important way of preserving
:09:11. > :09:22.But rehearsing for the tour is difficult as he has to look
:09:23. > :09:25.after his young sons while his wife is at work.
:09:26. > :09:33.And he struggles to explain to his children why the family left
:09:34. > :10:15.Like his parents, the majority of the orchestra live in Syria,
:10:16. > :10:44.where they still rehearse and perform in Damascus.
:10:45. > :10:50.Mais and her husband Rashid both play with the orchestra.
:10:51. > :11:36.She is a singer and he is the lead violin.
:11:37. > :11:38.And for Mais, these concerts have a special significance.
:11:39. > :11:42.But it is almost impossible for Mais and Rashid to get visas
:11:43. > :12:26.But it is almost impossible for Mais and Rashid to get visas
:12:27. > :12:31.They haven't left Syria since the start of the war.
:12:32. > :12:35.And with a week to go before the tour, they still don't know
:12:36. > :12:43.if they will get permission to travel.
:12:44. > :12:46.Getting 30 people is a huge logistical challenge challenge
:12:47. > :12:48.for the concert organisers, which has taken six
:12:49. > :12:56.It was very, very, very difficult, just communicating with people
:12:57. > :13:07.They had to go to Beirut to get visas, then there were all sorts
:13:08. > :13:10.of hiccups along the way, suspicions of what we were doing.
:13:11. > :13:12.There were fears over whether people would stay over.
:13:13. > :13:18.The first stop of the tour is Amsterdam, and it's a nervous
:13:19. > :13:26.Some musicians did not get permission to travel,
:13:27. > :13:34.and others were only issued with visas at the last minute.
:13:35. > :13:36.At last, they are here, and the years of separation
:13:37. > :14:57.Finally, the orchestra can start playing together.
:14:58. > :14:59.The reunited orchestra contains members from across the political
:15:00. > :15:08.What was interesting about Syria before the Revolution was the way
:15:09. > :15:11.that everyone was so mixed and it was very harmonious
:15:12. > :15:21.between the Christians and the Sunnis and the Shia.
:15:22. > :15:23.There were tensions but people were together.
:15:24. > :15:25.The orchestra reflects that, there are people of different
:15:26. > :15:28.strands, different religions, different views on what has happened
:15:29. > :15:45.They have all come together in music.
:15:46. > :15:47.The tour is masterminded by a the creator of Gorillaz,
:15:48. > :16:02.He wanted to bring the orchestra back together.
:16:03. > :16:05.I wanted to bring them over here so that physically people
:16:06. > :16:07.could see them, they could see Syrians doing something other
:16:08. > :16:10.than having their few possessions in a muddy field in Macedonia,
:16:11. > :16:21.Something positive, positive and beautiful about Syria.
:16:22. > :16:26.It's tangible, a tangible thing, music.
:16:27. > :16:39.Music is always a good starting point to open a dialogue.
:16:40. > :16:42.One member of the orchestra is not here.
:16:43. > :16:54.His sisters have come from Damascus to sing in the choir,
:16:55. > :17:15.and they cannot believe he is not joining them.
:17:16. > :17:30.They are keeping him updated about the tour.
:17:31. > :18:11.In his absence, Rachid has had to step up as conductor.
:18:12. > :18:14.The most important thing is to get the orchestra, we've got people
:18:15. > :18:17.who haven't played for up to five years.
:18:18. > :18:20.To get them playing with each other and communicating the dynamic
:18:21. > :18:57.Rehearsals carry on late into the night.
:18:58. > :18:59.After four days of intense practice, it is time
:19:00. > :19:42.Thank you very much, everyone, it's been an absolute
:19:43. > :20:29.pleasure and privilege to work with you.
:20:30. > :20:42.We are from Syria, the music makes me feel like I am in Damascus.
:20:43. > :20:45.It makes me miss my family in Syria.
:20:46. > :21:10.The orchestra are joined by artists from across the world.
:21:11. > :21:13.There were three guys crying in front of us
:21:14. > :23:12.But now, their thoughts are starting to turn to home.
:23:13. > :23:16.Some contrasting weather conditions to close out our final few