For the second year in a row, Bank of Palestine sponsored the Palestinian National Orchestra's performance in Ramallah's Cultural Palace on 15/3/2012 and in Al Hussien's Cultural Palace in Amman, Jordan, on the 16th and the 17th.
The concerts were organized by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music and were led by Maestro Matthew Khoury, and solo players Kinan Azmeh (Syria- clarinet) and Alexander Suliman (cello). The Orchestra opened the performance with Beethovens' "Coriolan", a legendary Roman hero, followed by an Oriental solo, "The 22nd of November", played by Kinan with a combination of contemporary and classic Arabic music. The performance also included Roberto Shumann's "Cello Concerto", Mozarts' Symphony No. 35 "Haffner", and Stravinsky's "Pulcinella."
This year, the Orchestra included a number of world-class Palestinian musicians, who left their imprint on palaces and opera houses around the world. In the past, BoP sponsored the first Palestinian National Orchestra, which was created by the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music. The Orchestra was an unprecedented achievement in Palestine, as it included a selection of professional musicians from the country as well as from the Diaspora, some of who had never visited Palestine before. In 2011, BoP sponsored the Palestinian National Orchestra's three performances, which took place in Ramallah, Jerusalem, and Haifa, and included a selection of classic and contemporary music.