I was intrigued when I got an email with the subject “A song for
Syria,” by Tony Rabbat, someone I had never heard of before. It must have been
making the rounds.
Turns out, Rabbat is a singer/songwriter and producer. He is also the
owner and teacher at Tony Rabbat Arabic Teaching in Los Angeles, California.
He was born in South America and raised in Syria,
where it seems his heart still is.
From an early stage he started applying his moderate
knowledge of the English into simple poems and songs. Little by little, he
developed a passion for music and writing and he ended up studying English and
world literature.
Rabbat couldn’t devote time to study music theory so
he started learning as much as he could about music on his own and bought a guitar
to expand his knowledge.
Growing up he had a passion for singing and was part
of the church choir. He was the solo singer for almost 10 years at the Latin
Church in Aleppo, before moving to the U.S. to follow his dream of becoming a
music producer.
Introducing his “Song for Syria,” Tony Rabbat writes:
“The image of Syria has been associated with violence and blood the
past year and a half.
“Every morning I wake up and run to my laptop to make sure nothing
horrible has happened to my family and my friends. And because of the
randomness of the killings and the unrest, my anxiousness doesn't calm down for
more than a moment. I say no news is good news because the news is always
negative.
“I wanted to create something positive and show the life I'd lived
in Syria the past few decades. I wanted to share those images with you because
Syria was never a place for terrorism or violence. It used to be a peaceful
beautiful country, and I pray every day that it goes back to what it was.
“The video I made will show that beauty. I hope you enjoy watching
it.”
It’s good to know that all the way out in California, someone is
singing for the people of Syria.
