A talented Kurdish pianist finds refuge in Victoria to pursue his dreams
Hersh Anwer brought to Canada his dream of being a classical pianist/composer
IN CONCERT What: Hersh Anwer When: Monday, 7:30 p.m. Where: Phillip T. Young Recital Hall, University of Victoria Tickets: $10, $20, $50 (supporter level) available through eventbrite.com and at the door (cash only)
The first sign Hersh Anwer was a musical child was his constant singing of Kurdish folk and Céline Dion songs while growing up in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
“My older brother said: ‘You have talent. I’ve seen things in you that you don’t know are special,’ ” said Anwer, 26, at Habit Coffee on Pandora Avenue.
His early love of Canada’s most famous chanteuse not only foreshadowed a future in music, but a life in Dion’s native land.
Anwer came to Victoria in 2016 as a refugee, with a dream to pursue his studies and eventual career as a classical pianist and composer. He gives his first recital in this country on Monday at UVic’s Phillip T. Young Recital Hall. The concert, which is also a fundraiser for his studies, features music by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Kurdish composers, as well as Anwer’s own works.
“It was always my dream to study abroad and my passion is composing — I can do that here,” Anwer said.
His journey has been more challenging than that of most young musicians, and began long before he can remember.
“This is the second time in my life as a refugee,” Anwer said. When he was six months old, his family was forced to flee Iraq on foot because Saddam Hussein was targeting Kurdish people. Anwer was carried across the border by his cousin, who was only 13 or 14 years old at the time.
The family was able to return to their city of Erbil in Kurdistan after six months. Anwer’s mother died from breast cancer a year later and his father remarried, bringing their blended family to a total of 11 children.
“It was always a busy household,” said Anwer, who didn’t start studying music until he was 18, when his brother helped him get into the local fine arts institute.
“I went there with a lot of hope to study rock guitar, but they didn’t have that. So, I thought acoustic guitar. But no. Then saxophone. Not that either. Then it was: ‘OK, piano,’ ” he said.
Anwer said he was lucky to be able to study under one of the country’s top classical pianists for several years, but struggled after his teacher left.
“I had no teacher when he left, so I decided to do whatever I could, no matter what,” said Anwer, who practised on his own for hours, watching YouTube videos and imitating master pianists such as Vladimir Ashkenazy playing Chopin’s Nocturnes.
“I didn’t have a piano at home, so I had to fight to play,” he said. His father, a blacksmith and devout Muslim, did not initially approve of his choice to pursue a life in music.
Anwer attended summer performing-arts academies run by an American non-profit organization. In 2012, he was recognized as the top young pianist in Iraq with a $35,000 US scholarship to study music at East Carolina University in the U.S. for a year.
“It was an amazing experience, but also difficult,” he said. He learned to speak English and built a strong musical community, but also experienced racism because of his Muslim heritage, even though he’s an atheist.
Anwer hoped to continue his studies with government support, but that fell apart when the country was thrown into turmoil by conflict with Islamic State in 2014, he said. The Kurdistan region suffered a financial depression as war halted tourism and funds from Iraq. Then, Syrian refugees started flooding in.
“I was going to give up music and registered for the army. I was jealous of friends who joined to fight ISIS,” he said.
His mind was changed by John Ferguson, an American pianist who mentored him.
“He convinced me that there are people who have to save their culture and music. This is what I want to do for Kurdistan,” Anwer said. Ferguson and other friends encouraged him to come to Canada and connected him with a group of people in Victoria.
He said he is grateful for the support he has received, from housing and access to rehearsal space at the Victoria Conservatory of Music to help with paperwork, finances and his concert.
“The LGBT community has been a big supporter,” Anwer said. “When I came here, I stayed with two husbands, which was new for me to see. In my country, straight people don’t have human rights, so it’s very hard for gay people.”
Anwer said his concert is also a thank-you to the many people who have supported him in Victoria. He hopes to study composition at the University of British Columbia and to one day help other young musicians from Kurdistan.
“It’s so important for Canada to accept more refugees. People really need this country [for safety] and the more culture, the more multicultural, the richer we’ll be,” he said.