Composer and pianist Zade uses music to build cultural bridges.

Jordanian composer and pianist Zade and nearly 35 other musicians from 18 countries will perform Saturday at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium

Date published: 5/11/2006

By EMILY GILMORE

Jordanian composer and pianist Zade was scheduled to perform a house concert for friends in Maine the day of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Needless to say, the concert was postponed.

Zade, an Arab and a Muslim, was a bit nervous when he fulfilled his obligation shortly thereafter, but he was so heartily welcomed that he was inspired to embark on a house-concert tour of the United States to promote cultural understanding.

"That experience [in Maine] was so overwhelming," Zade said last week in a phone interview from Los Angeles.

He had been in Washington the day before to make a presentation at St. John's Episcopal Church Lafayette Square, and he was to return to the city the next day to make the final preparations for this stop on his Roads to You: Celebration of One World Tour, an extension of the house-concert tour with the same goal of building cultural bridges through music.

Zade and nearly 35 other musicians from 18 countries will perform Saturday at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium. The Carpe Diem Community Choir also will perform.

The show will anchor a week of workshops and house concerts, presentations and discussion forums, all conducted by the performers in an effort to connect with each other and the community.

The musicians--who were chosen for their leadership ability, as well as for their musical talents--have been busy since Tuesday, and they will remain in D.C. until May 16.

Zade said he feels musicians have a responsibility to facilitate communication because they speak a language that "doesn't understand religious or political boundaries."

"A lot of people from different countries respond to music no matter where it's coming from. It goes directly to the heart."

Queen Noor of Jordan, who has been one of Zade's supporters since he studied at the country's National Music Conservatory, is a patron of the tour. Berklee College of Music in Boston, where Zade also studied, and Seeds of Peace, an organization that empowers young people in conflicted regions to further peace, are sponsors.

"I really feel that to try to make a difference, we really have to begin with the younger generations," Zade said. One thing the tour focuses on, he said, is framing peace work and cultural exchange in such a way as to make young people want to be involved.

At 26, Zade is passionate about his mission to combat ignorance and help others realize that human beings "are all the same." He speaks quickly, carried away by his excitement.

He is glad that he can make a difference "in a very humble way" through his music. It's all part of his belief that people must look beyond themselves to contribute to the greater good.

"I think as human beings, we have a tremendous responsibility to ourselves, toward our God, or whatever we believe in, and to our communities," he said.

WHAT: Roads To You: Celebration of One World Tour, featuring composer and pianist Zade WHERE: George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium, 730 21st St., N.W., Washington WHEN: Saturday, 8 p.m. COST: $50, $40, $30 INFO: 202/994-6800 WEB: lisner.org, roadstoyou.com TICKETS: 800/551-SEAT or ticketmaster.com

Date published: 5/11/2006