Upbeat

The story of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq is here told by its musical director from its inception to its eventual end. The NYOI came through the most difficult and dangerous of times to produce fine music not only in Iraq but also in Britain, Germany, France and the United States. A beacon of hope and achievement the young musicians and their tutors made bridges across their own ethnic divisions, made great music in the most trying and tragic of circumstances, and became their country's best ambassadors in 5000 years.

`The great adventure of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq deserves not only to be recorded for posterity but also to serve as an example of how the essential can survive catastrophe.’-Sir Peter Maxwell Davies;`Be prepared to laugh, cry and - above all – to discover music’s power to overcome seemingly irreconcilable differences and create harmony out of chaos.’-Julian Lloyd Webber;`An amazing and deeply inspiring story. ’-Book of the Month (August), The Bookseller;`Upbeat is an eloquently-written, moving and sometimes funny book. Its title, taken from the gesture that conductors make to indicate the beat that leads into a new bar of music, is symbolic of change and progress. It also describes the mindset that was often required of MacAlindin and his team in testing circumstances. ’-The National (UAE);`Fragile, precarious, quixotic and almost insanely heroic.’-BBC Music Magazine;`...one of the most unlikely, and genuinely heroic, stories you’re ever likely to read.’-The Spectator;`...the fact that any sort of orchestra could be brought together seems a miracle.’-The Daily Telegraph;`Even if it doesn’t reform, the orchestra was a victory for art and light in the face of darkness. And in the year of Chilcot, Mr MacAlindin’s Upbeat seems a timely homage to this fragile but beautiful thing created by an inspirational Scot and the bravery and dedication of the musicians. ’-The Herald;`Upbeat serves as an inspiring and insightful guide towards understanding a land too long dominated by war and violence.’-The Express

Paul MacAlindin was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and holds degrees and post-graduate degrees from both the University of York and the Open University. He has been a full time classical musician since 1993 when he was Assistant for Sir Peter Maxwell Davies with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic and Royal Philharmonic. Since then he has been conductor and guest conductor for many orchestras including New Zealand Symphony, Tonhalle, Dusseldorf, and the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland. For six years he was musical director of the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq. Paul MacAlindin is fluent in both English and German.