“A center to teach music that brings together Jews, Muslims and Christians, using the universal and common language of music.”
Father Quirico Calella represents the Custody of the Holy Land in Akko. Christians are a small minority here, as they are almost everywhere else in this part of the world, not only with respect to the population as a whole, but also in the Terra Sancta School, where Father Quirico is headmaster. Experiencing the challenge of working with different groups for a common objective on a daily basis, he explains the spirit behind the project of the Tau Musica Center, which opened its doors for the first time on Friday, June 16. The Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Father Josè Carballo, and the Custos, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, inaugurated the center and blessed the premises after being welcomed by two very young trumpeters. The two children belong to the Tau Banda, the musical group that then performed with all its members at the graduation ceremony of Class 12 of the Franciscan school.
Taking this successful band as an example, in which boys and girls from all the ethnic groups and religions present in the city play side by side, Father Quirico decided to work on a project to set up a fully-fledged center for musical education. The Tau Banda, formed three years ago, will be in Italy at the end of July to take part in the International Festival of Bands in Cisternino (Puglia). From there, the band will travel to neighbouring towns and cities for performances, as well as to Rome and Naples.
By Serena Picariello
Father Quirico Calella represents the Custody of the Holy Land in Akko. Christians are a small minority here, as they are almost everywhere else in this part of the world, not only with respect to the population as a whole, but also in the Terra Sancta School, where Father Quirico is headmaster. Experiencing the challenge of working with different groups for a common objective on a daily basis, he explains the spirit behind the project of the Tau Musica Center, which opened its doors for the first time on Friday, June 16. The Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, Father Josè Carballo, and the Custos, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, inaugurated the center and blessed the premises after being welcomed by two very young trumpeters. The two children belong to the Tau Banda, the musical group that then performed with all its members at the graduation ceremony of Class 12 of the Franciscan school.
Taking this successful band as an example, in which boys and girls from all the ethnic groups and religions present in the city play side by side, Father Quirico decided to work on a project to set up a fully-fledged center for musical education. The Tau Banda, formed three years ago, will be in Italy at the end of July to take part in the International Festival of Bands in Cisternino (Puglia). From there, the band will travel to neighbouring towns and cities for performances, as well as to Rome and Naples.
By Serena Picariello