Christmas in Mourning

December 24, 2023. Our people in Palestine are facing a new cycle of unspeakable violence and savagery. Words are missing to convey our outrage, sadness, and feeling of helplessness.

In a remote collaboration bridging Bethlehem and Beirut, Wonder Cabinet and Radio alHara invited artists Sary Moussa, Abed Kobeissy and Laurence Sammour - Head of the choir of the Greek Orthodox Nativity Church in Bethlehem -, to create an original mourning sonic piece bringing together religious recitals and electronic composition. An attempt to produce a physical materialization of remote solidarity.

On Christmas Eve, 2023, Christmas in Mourning was broadcasted live on Radio alHara and mirrored simultaneously from over 50 radio stations around the world.

A letter from the artists:

"It is with profound humility that we approached this work particularly in light of the inhumane brutality that present-day Palestine is witnessing.

The immense cultural and spiritual significance of this land weighs heavily on us. Throughout the writing process Laurence’s voice and his presence served as a testament to an enduring vitality that this musical tradition holds.

We hope this sonic piece reflects our awe of the heritage on which it is based, as well as our deep appreciation of the opportunity to contribute in producing art that, in many ways, sheds a brief light on the story of Palestine and its people.

This commissioned work asserts Bethlehem’s decision to cancel all festive aspects of this year’s Christmas while Gaza is fiercely facing what can only be described as the purest forms of evil. For us, as musicians from Beirut, to be given the opportunity to be part of this stand, is a treasured privilege, to say the least.

This electro-acoustic piece revolves around the voice of Laurence Sammour, head of the choir of Bethlehem’s Church of The Nativity. Laurence’s voice was the guiding reference in most of the artistic decisions made during the composition process.”

--Sary Moussa and Abed Kobeissy Christmas 2023

Laurence Samour, Head of the choir at the church of nativity in Bethlehem, Palestine.

A year later, on November 8th, 2024, Laurence Sammour, Sary Moussa and Abed Kobeissy will meet in person for the first time at the Jacobikerk Church in Utrecht, where they will hold their first joint live performance of Christmas in Mourning as part of of the festival Le Guess Who?

“The piece responds to factors and conditions that we live under today, be it in Palestine or in other parts of the world, using the meaning of sound, and using the radio as a channel to convey messages and to bring people living in different parts of the world together.” - Elias Anastas

Christmas in Mourning follows a first collaboration dating back to 2022, which brought together Beirut-based multi-instrumentalist and puppeteer Yara Asmar, Sary Moussa, and Laurence Sammour to produce an original performance captured on film in two different spaces and cities: the unfinished setting of the Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer’s project in Tripoli, and the Church of the Nativity in Palestine.

Christmas in Mourning is produced by Wonder Cabinet and Radio alHara.

THE WONDER CABINET Karkafeh Street, Bethlehem, Palestine (next to Arij) Location office@wondercabinet.space IG & FB Whatsapp