Allegra Klein, First American Woman Ever To Join Iraqi National Symphony, & First Foreign Member Since 2003, Makes Baghdad Debut As Violinist In The Orchestra

New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Mucisians For harmony) - This past weekend in Baghdad, an extraordinary occurrence took place. A 13-year-old American pianist named Llewellyn Kingman Sanchez Werner flew all the way from his hometown of Los Angeles to the heavily fortified 'Green Zone' of Baghdad to make his debut with the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra on May 22nd at Al Rasheed Hotel. His breathtaking performances of Grieg's Piano Concerto and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue brought the audience of about 250 Iraqis, Americans and other expats to their feet.

That same Saturday evening in that same hall in Al Rasheed Hotel, however, a quieter but equally groundbreaking drama was unfolding onstage. Allegra Klein, the first American woman ever to join the Iraqi National Symphony and the first foreign member since 2003, made her Baghdad debut as a violinist in the orchestra. She is one of just six women in the 90+ member ensemble, and was recently invited by its Principal Conductor and Director, Karim Wasfi, to sign a yearlong contract with the orchestra.

Klein has been connected to the Iraqi National Symphony since her first visit to that country in November 2003, when she brought over musical instruments and supplies on behalf of her charitable organization, Musicians For Harmony (www.musicians4harmony.org ). During this trip, one of the violinists in the orchestra offered her his instrument so she could sit in on a rehearsal, and the bonds and friendships that were formed as a result have continued to this day.

In 2007, Klein reunited with several members of the Symphony when she traveled to the northern Iraqi city of Erbil for 10 days to teach for the U.S. State Department-sponsored Iraqi Unity Performing Arts Academy, and she met them again when she returned two years later to help establish the first National Youth Orchestra of Iraq. Her articles about these trips were published in Strings and Symphony magazines, and her cross-cultural work has also been profiled in the New York Sun, the New York Daily News and Chamber Music Magazine.

Klein has been living in Baghdad since last October, when she moved to Baghdad to work with an Iraqi woman-owned firm (4points Company) on development and capacity building projects. She has been rehearsing with the Symphony twice a week since she signed her contract with the Iraqi Ministry of Culture earlier this month.