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Time to sleep in after the big night - gladly well into the afternoon. The violins are staying in their cases, and the violinists haven't quite rubbed the sleep from their eyes. It's Friday, and everyone is ready for a break.

The musicians wander out of the hotel in small groups. Some head to the bazaar to stock up on snacks for the trip to Bonn. Others head off to a favorite destination: the shopping mall, promising a mix of clothes, fast food and arcade games. A group of young men gather excitedly to watch another as he goes full tilt in a video game car race. There's even an ice skating rink in the mall - although it's apparent that the wobbly skaters don't have much of a chance to practice in this climate. More people are falling down than skating forward.

The orchestra has two weeks of rehearsals behind it and one concert. Soon, they'll leave for Bonn - the first time that many of them will ever have been outside of the country.

On the night before the trip, the trumpets and a horn player enjoy a round of hookah outside the hotel. But one of the violinists is running around nervously. He won't be able to sleep all night. "I've never flown before, and I'm terrified I'm going to do something wrong at the airport and not be able to come," he explains.
But I'm wondering how all of the instruments are going to make their way to Bonn. Limited space in the little busses that are bringing us to the airport forced us to tie a double bass to the top of one of the vehicles.



The airport is secured like a fortress. There are three roadblocks before we even get to the first of three luggage controls. A second bus takes us to the terminal from there. It will be a miracle if none of the instruments get lost in all of the x-raying and reloading.

The Kurdish musicians got approval from their employer, the culture ministry, at the very last second to take two weeks off and travel to Germany. There, they'll live with German host families, and the biggest question seems to be, "What is there going to be to eat there?"

"It's definitely going to be a little culture shock," remarks conductor Paul MacAlindin.

But first things first - there's a flight to be taken. Window seats are a hot commodity with everyone wanting to check out the view from above. Flutist Waleed proudly "reads" a German newspaper. His picture is printed large there with the caption "Mit Haydn in die Freiheit" ("With Haydn into Freedom"). He points at the picture again and again, "That's me!"

As the plane touches down in Frankfurt, everyone claps in relief. In the bus to the terminal, the players sing a Kurdish song, but this time, they refrain from dancing.

It's the beginning of the real adventure for the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq, which will reach its high point on October 1. The young musicians will perform works by the old masters and new composers at the Beethovenfest Bonn for an international audience. Toi toi toi!

Scroll down to stream performances and video from the rehearsals in Arbil.

Author: Bettina Kolb / gsw
Editor: Rick Fulker