After dedicating a piece to Berlin’s U8 train line at the end of 2019, Syrian composer and percussionist Elias Aboud came up with the idea for the project Us, From Damascus to Berlin. Similar to the U8 connection between former West and East Berlin, Aboud’s music aims to bring together Western and Eastern sounds. A trained drummer, Elias Aboud completed his bachelor’s degree at the Barenboim-Said Academy. He has played in the Syrian National Orchestra under Missak Baghboudarian as well as in the European Youth Orchestra under Marco Munari and is now a member of the Syrian Expat Philharmonic Orchestra SEPO. In Us, From Damascus to Berlin, Aboud combines very different musical styles and instruments and adds the heritage of Eastern music to Western influences – an approach that leaves plenty of space for improvisation and innovation.
In 2021, Us, From Damascus to Berlin is receiving a grant of 4,000 euros for the recording of new songs.