NEWS RELEASE

Immediate:  April 16, 2018

The Nassau Community College Cultural Program Spring 2018 Speaker Series

Alive From Aleppo: A Syrian Refugee's Story of Music, Suffering, and Love

April 26 

Garden City, NY – The Nassau Community College Spring 2018 Speaker Series program Alive From Aleppo: A Syrian Refugee's Story of Music, Suffering, and Love will take place in Room 252/253 of the College Center Building on Thursday, April 26, at 10:00 a.m. During the program, Mariela Shaker, a violin virtuoso, will speak about her life growing up in Syria and now as a refugee and an internationally successful musician.

During the conflict in Syria, Mariela Shaker graduated from the University of Aleppo, where she studied business administration. She also worked as violin teacher at the Arabic Institute of Music, and traveled around Syria giving solo performances. Shaker would seek out Internet cafes, hiding from bomb and mortar attacks, applying to schools around the world.

Eventually, she received a full scholarship to Monmouth College in Illinois, where, with a patchwork of financial backing, she decided to get her second bachelor's degree in music performance. Shaker's parents and brother remain in Aleppo.

Now 26, Shaker hasn't forgotten the plight of her fellow Syrians trapped in a war with no end in sight. She speaks about her story and her music, trying to raise awareness about the situation and how it affects everyone who lives there. "I want to tell the story of my suffering city and people. I am so keen to deliver a beautiful message through my violin — a message of peace over war and love over hatred. May music help heal the pain our world has felt.

"Alive From Aleppo: A Syrian Refugee's Story of Music, Suffering, and Love is free, open to the public and accessible to the disabled.

For more information about the program, call 516.572.7148.

Media Contact:
Alicia Steger
516.572.9634
alicia.steger@ncc.edu
ncc.edu/newsreleases

About Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College is an institution where more than 20,000 full-time, part-time, Workforce Development and continuing education students start and continue their successful journey through higher education. More than 70 fields of study are offered on a 225-acre campus located in the center of Long Island. As the largest single-campus two-year college in New York State, Nassau Community College maintains a national reputation for excellence. For more information, visit www.ncc.edu.

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