Healing Concert to Benefit Yezidi People of Northern Iraq

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday April 15, 2019
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Stephanie Hill, Director of University Relations & Communications
Office: 918.495.7337, Mobile: 918.720.5548
sthill@oru.edu

Tulsa, OK – The Music Therapy program at Oral Roberts University will hold its 2019 Healing Concert, Restoring Music for Yezidis in Northern Iraq, on Friday, April 26, 2019 at 7:30 pm at the Timko-Barton Performance Hall. This year’s concert will benefit the Yezidi people who, reports say, have been the victims of ISIS genocide.

The Restoration Act, a humanitarian organization that works with the Yezidi people, plans to use the money raised by the concert to purchase Yezidi Kurdish musical instruments including one called the “saz”. Much like the western lute, the saz is a stringed musical instrument with a deep round back but with a much longer neck.

 “After meeting three missionaries working for The Restoration Act and hearing the stories of what has happened to the Yezidis, we decided we wanted this year’s healing concert to benefit these resilient people,” said Dr. Hayoung Lim, ORU Professor of Music Therapy. “We strongly believe that music has a very special and unique healing component that should also be available to the Yezidis.”

Becky Thompson, founder of The Restoration Act, will attend the concert to share her testimony and about her work with the Yezidi people. She just recently returned to the states from Iraq and will also bring a video of a member of the Yezidi people playing the saz. In addition to that performance, the concert will feature a ukulele ensemble performance by ORU music therapy students, a trio featuring ORU music faculty, and the ORU choir.