Mr. Shlimon Bet-Shmuel This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. The Offical Site of Shlimon Bet-Shmuel |:| Shlimon's Biography

   www.shlimonbetshmuel.com/biogr - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/25/2003   Last Visited: 10/31/2006

   Shlimon Bet-Shmuel was born on April 24th 1950 in the small village of Bet-Baidey, near the town of Amadia in the Sapna region in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq today).
   
   At an early age Shlimon showed an interest in singing where he started chanting hymns and antiphonal (Alternation between two choirs) in the village church. The nature of the rich land and the deep rooted folk heritage mixed with ritual hymns had a strong influence in building up his talent at an early stage of life.
   
   Aftre graduating from High School in 1970, Shlimon became an active member of the Assyrian Cultural Club in Baghdad where he made numerous stage performnce from 1970 and until he left the homland September 1973. Some of the memorable songs which he performed during this period were "Orkha D'Nineveh" or "The Road to Nineveh ", "Brata D'Oumtee" or "Daughter of my Nation", "Akkara" or "The Plowman" and more.
   
   On August 2nd, 1973 during the celebration of the third anniversary of the Assyrian Cultural Club Shlimon performed an historical event when he sung his everlasting and epical work, the song of "Semelle" , to commemorate the August 1933 massacre of the Assyrian People in the village of Semelle near the town of "Mosul", Iraq. This song is considered to be his masterpiece and it is well known in the Assyrian communities worldwide.
   
   Harrased by the Iraqi government authorities for his performance of his patriotic song of "Semelle"; also being identified as a nationalystic singer, lead him to seek refuge in neighboring Iran.
   ...
   Also during this time, Bet-Shmuel performed in two concerts as well as in a variety of Assyrian festivals and social activities including a performance in the city of "Urmia" in the summer of 1975 where he spent two weeks visiting the Assyrian villages around Urmia which inspired him to compose a new melody which resulted in a song titled "Ashurina".
   
   In 1976 Shlimon Bet-Shmuel left Iran to the United States of America and settled in Chicago, Illinois. Here he released two record albums "Echo of Nineveh" in 1979 and "The Road to Nineveh" on August 7, 1983. In September of 1989 Bet-Shmuel released an audio tape entitled " Nahrain The Mother". Overall he has produced and released more than twenty well-arranged and well-orchestrated songs.
   
   In 1993 Shlimon completed an historic and sentimental visit to the northern part of his beloved homeland. During this visit he payed homage to the burial grounds of recent Assyrian martyrs "Yousip Toma Zebari", "Francis Shabo", " Mikhael Lazar (Abu Naseer)", "Jameel Matte" and "Sheba Hamee". It deserves to be mentioned that Bet-Shmuel was the first visitor to do so.
   
   Also during his visit to the homeland, Bet-Shmuel dedicated a beautiful folk song entitled "Zomeh O'Kozeh" to the Assyrian people of Iraq.
   ...
   Shlimon Bet-Shmuel's speech and lecture were received very well by the close to four hundred people attending this event.
   
   During this same occasion Bet-Shmuel performed "Semelle", "Orkha D'Nenveh" and other songs while accompanied by Rev. Dr. Fereidoun Es-haq on the piano. The performance was very well recieved and and the audience requested an encore or " Orkha D'Nineveh". This was a remarkable performance coming after years of self imposed solitude to protest the status-quo of Assyrian art. The event was televised via Assyria Vision TV owned and operated by the "Assyrian Cultural Center of Bet-Nahrain" in Ceres, California to the local communities as well as over the internet.
   
   Shlimon Bet-Shmuel accepted an invitation from the "Assyrian American National Federation" that hosted the annual Assyrian Convention and delivered the same lecture he delivered in April 1997 in California as mentioned in the above paragraphs. This event took place on August 30, 1997 in the city of Dearborn, Michigan where the 1997 convention was convened.
   
   On November 23, 1997 the same lecture was delivered to the audience of the " United Assyrian Youth of Canada, Toronto". Currently Bet-Shmuel is busy working on new song projects as well as researching the history and origin of the Assyrian musical instruments and its contribution to mankind. Mr. Bet-Shmuel is planning to publish a book entitled "Musical Instruments in Ancient Mesopotamia".
   
   In October of 1998 the United Assyrian Associations in Europe extened an invitaion to Bet-Shmuel to participate in various cultural activities for the club membership, his participated consisted of the following events.
   ...
   On October 31, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Influence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Babylon Associaion, in Jonkoping, Sweden. On November 6, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Influence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Nineveh Club, in Arhus, Denmark On November 8, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Influence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Bet-Nahrain Association in Wiesbaden, Gernmany.
   
   Early March 1999, Mr. Bet-Shmuel was invited by the Ashur Association of Stockhom, Sweden to give a concert and he performed on April 4, 1999 accompanied by a five piece Swedish orchestra.
   
   © 2003 Shlimon Bet-Shmuel. All rights reserved.

2. 2. Assyrian Information Medieum Exchange

   www.edessa.com/music/sshmuel.h - [Cached]

   Published on: 7/3/2000   Last Visited: 12/14/2007

   Shlimon Bet-Shmuel: 1950-
   
   Shlimon Bet-Shmuel was born on April 24th 1950 in the small village of Bet-Baidey, near the town of Amadia in the Sapna region in northern Mesopotamia (Iraq today).
   
   At an early age Shlimon showed an interest in singing where he started chanting hymns and antiphonal (Alternation between two choirs) in the village church. The nature of the rich land and the deep rooted folk heritage mixed with ritual hymns had a strong influence in building up his talent at an early stage of life.
   
   Aftre graduating from High School in 1970, Shlimon became an active member of the Assyrian Cultural Club in Baghdad where he made numerous stage performnce from 1970 and until he left the homland September 1973. Some of the memorable songs which he performed during this period were "Orkha D'Nineveh" or "The Road to Nineveh ", "Brata D'Oumtee" or "Daughter of my Nation", "Akkara" or "The Plowman" and more.
   
   On August 2nd, 1973 during the celebration of the third anniversary of the Assyrian Cultural Club Shlimon performed an historical event when he sung his everlasting and epical work, the song of "Semelle" , to commemorate the August 1933 massacre of the Assyrian People in the village of Semelle near the town of "Mosul", Iraq. This song is considered to be his masterpiece and it is well known in the Assyrian communities worldwide.
   
   Harrased by the Iraqi government authorities for his performance of his patriotic song of "Semelle"; also being identified as a nationalystic singer, lead him to seek refuge in neighboring Iran.
   ...
   Also during this time, Bet-Shmuel performed in two concerts as well as in a variety of Assyrian festivals and social activities including a performance in the city of "Urmia" in the summer of 1975 where he spent two weeks visiting the Assyrian villages around Urmia which inspired him to compose a new melody which resulted in a song titled "Ashurina".
   
   In 1976 Shlimon Bet-Shmuel left Iran to the United States of America and settled in Chicago, Illinois. Here he released two record albums "Echo of Nineveh" in 1979 and "The Road to Nineveh" on August 7, 1983. In September of 1989 Bet-Shmuel released an audio tape entitled " Nahrain The Mother". Overall he has produced and released more than twenty well-arranged and well-orchestrated songs.
   
   In 1993 Shlimon completed an historic and sentimental visit to the northern part of his beloved homeland. During this visit he payed homage to the burial grounds of recent Assyrian martyrs "Yousip Toma Zebari", "Francis Shabo", " Mikhael Lazar (Abu Naseer)", "Jameel Matte" and "Sheba Hamee". It deserves to be mentioned that Bet-Shmuel was the first visitor to do so.
   
   Also during his visit to the homeland, Bet-Shmuel dedicated a beautiful folk song entitled "Zomeh O'Kozeh" to the Assyrian people of Iraq.
   ...
   Shlimon Bet-Shmuel's speech and lecture were received very well by the close to four hundred people attending this event.
   
   During this same occasion Bet-Shmuel performed "Semelle", "Orkha D'Nenveh" and other songs while accompanied by Rev. Dr. Fereidoun Es-haq on the piano. The performance was very well recieved and and the audience requested an encore or " Orkha D'Nineveh". This was a remarkable performance coming after years of self imposed solitude to protest the status-quo of Assyrian art. The event was televised via Assyria Vision TV owned and operated by the "Assyrian Cultural Center of Bet-Nahrain" in Ceres, California to the local communities as well as over the internet.
   
   Shlimon Bet-Shmuel accepted an invitation from the "Assyrian American National Federation" that hosted the annual Assyrian Convention and delivered the same lecture he delivered in April 1997 in California as mentioned in the above paragraphs. This event took place on August 30, 1997 in the city of Dearborn, Michigan where the 1997 convention was convened.
   
   On November 23, 1997 the same lecture was delivered to the audience of the " United Assyrian Youth of Canada, Toronto". Currently Bet-Shmuel is busy working on new song projects as well as researching the history and origin of the Assyrian musical instruments and its contribution to mankind. Mr. Bet-Shmuel is planning to publish a book entitled "Musical Instruments in Ancient Mesopotamia".
   
   In October of 1998 the United Assyrian Associations in Europe extened an invitaion to Bet-Shmuel to participate in various cultural activities for the club membership, his participated consisted of the following events.
   ...
   On October 31, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Invluence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Babylon Associaion, in Jonkoping, Sweden. On November 6, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Invluence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Nineveh Club, in Arhus, Denmark On November 8, 1998 Mr. Bet-Shmuel delivered his lecture on the Historical Invluence of the Assyrian Music on Western Chants, at Bet-Nahrain Association in Wiesbaden, Gernmany.
   
   Early March 1999, Mr. Bet-Shmuel was invited by the Ashur Association of Stockhom, Sweden to give a concert and he performed on April 4, 1999 accompanied by a five piece Swedish orchestra.