Lecture by Dafna Dori: “Sounds from Baghdad: The Contribution of Iraqi Jews to Iraqi Arab Music”

Sounds from Baghdad: The Contribution of Iraqi Jews to Iraqi Arabic Music

Lecturer: Dr. Daphna Dori

What caused Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Said to delay the departure of two Jewish musicians on their way to Israel and bring them into a recording studio? Behind this episode lies a broader story about the place of Jews in the Iraqi music world and their influence on its development.

The lecture will focus on the stories and work of composers, musicians, and teachers from Iraq’s Jewish community. Special attention will also be devoted to the place of Jewish women singers and their contribution to popular culture. We will delve into musical life in Baghdad during the first half of the twentieth century and hear about the role of Jews in record companies and nightclubs, where the dramatic transformation in entertainment life took place after the Ottoman period.

Dr. Daphna Dori, a singer and teacher of music and vocal development at David Yellin College and the Center for Eastern Music, published a research book about the Al-Kuwaity brothers and music in Iraq.