About this concert
Songs of Sanctuary is a fusion of classical Syrian music and contemporary folk songs performed by folk songwriter Sam Slatcher and Raghad Haddad from the National Syrian Orchestra, the musicians from the Stories of Sanctuary project.
Songs of Sanctuary is a stripped back and intimate arrangement of the Stories of Sanctuary songwriting project that brings together people from different backgrounds - including Syrian refugees and long term residents of County Durham - through writing originals songs. The repertoire includes many of the songs from the wider Stories of Sanctuary project arranged for guitar/piano and viola alongside ancient Syrian folk tunes and some of Sam’s more recent songwriting on the theme of sanctuary. This year, Sam and Raghad opened the official Refugee Week celebrations at the V&A in London with ‘Songs of Sanctuary’ (hosted by Counterpoints Arts) and have performed with the Stories of Sanctuary project at the Migration Matter’s Festival in Sheffield as well as Leicester Cathedral.
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Sam Slatcher Biography
“Sam's songs convey who he is as a person. His heart for people and social justice inform every word and note of the songs he writes and performs: they and he are as one. An artist with a quiet, infectious passion for humanity and the gift to articulate it to his audience." (Steve Pledger, singer/songwriter)
Sam has always had a love of music and began writing his own songs age 13, after teaching himself guitar. Although he's never stopped writing music, since his move to the North East in 2008, Sam has been more active in writing and reflecting on life through songwriting. In recent years, Sam has been sharing his work at local venues across the North East of England (particularly Newcastle, York and Durham). His more recently work is inspired by the storytelling close to the roots/acoustic/folk tradition, drawing from artists such as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Sting, as well as socially political music (Billy Bragg, Martyn Joseph, Lucy Ward, Gareth Davies-Jones) as Sam weaves together social, political and spiritual themes, philosophy and reflection, with storytelling from experiences involved in engaging with communities.
His music includes collaborations with local musicians from different traditions (including the song Let Peace Fill My Heart based on the ancient Sanskrit prayer for peace, written for National Inter-faith week 2016) as well as songwriting inspired by campaigning for inclusive cities in a project called Home Unbound supported by Durham City of Sanctuary. Sam is an active supporter and volunteer with REfUSE, a North East based campaign to feed bellies not bins, tackling the injustices of food waste and poverty, where he coordinates arts and music engagement. See www.samslatcher.com/projects for more information about Sam’s work in community arts engagement and www.soundcloud.com/samslatcher for samples of Sam’s work. Please do get in touch if you are interested in working with Sam or would like to hire Sam at your event.
“A great example of how arts can be a fantastic method of bringing people together and help in the understanding of diverse communities” (Paresh Solanki, Media and Social Innovation Specialist)
“Sam Slatcher’s music speaks to the heart. He is a singer/songwriter who has something to say about the state of play in the world, but in a calm and unpretentious way that leaves you feeling the world is a better place just by seeing him play live” (Left Field at the People's Bookshop)
Read MoreSam has always had a love of music and began writing his own songs age 13, after teaching himself guitar. Although he's never stopped writing music, since his move to the North East in 2008, Sam has been more active in writing and reflecting on life through songwriting. In recent years, Sam has been sharing his work at local venues across the North East of England (particularly Newcastle, York and Durham). His more recently work is inspired by the storytelling close to the roots/acoustic/folk tradition, drawing from artists such as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen and Sting, as well as socially political music (Billy Bragg, Martyn Joseph, Lucy Ward, Gareth Davies-Jones) as Sam weaves together social, political and spiritual themes, philosophy and reflection, with storytelling from experiences involved in engaging with communities.
His music includes collaborations with local musicians from different traditions (including the song Let Peace Fill My Heart based on the ancient Sanskrit prayer for peace, written for National Inter-faith week 2016) as well as songwriting inspired by campaigning for inclusive cities in a project called Home Unbound supported by Durham City of Sanctuary. Sam is an active supporter and volunteer with REfUSE, a North East based campaign to feed bellies not bins, tackling the injustices of food waste and poverty, where he coordinates arts and music engagement. See www.samslatcher.com/projects for more information about Sam’s work in community arts engagement and www.soundcloud.com/samslatcher for samples of Sam’s work. Please do get in touch if you are interested in working with Sam or would like to hire Sam at your event.
“A great example of how arts can be a fantastic method of bringing people together and help in the understanding of diverse communities” (Paresh Solanki, Media and Social Innovation Specialist)
“Sam Slatcher’s music speaks to the heart. He is a singer/songwriter who has something to say about the state of play in the world, but in a calm and unpretentious way that leaves you feeling the world is a better place just by seeing him play live” (Left Field at the People's Bookshop)
Acoustic Folk
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