Bassam Saba Memorial Fund

April Centrone is organizing this fundraiser on behalf of Mariana Saba.

Donation protected

April Centrone, Bassam's long-time friend and associate, and the NY Arabic Orchestra are organizing this fundraiser to directly benefit the Saba family. We have updated this campaign in order to more expediently have funds sent to Bassam's family. All funds raised will directly go to Bassam's family.

Bassam Saba, our beloved Maestro, has left this world to play his eternal song. Bassam's precious life was stolen from us suddenly on December 4, 4:40am EST, from Covid-19. He leaves his daughter and wife behind. This is a call to action - We must step up to help his family to stand on their feet and face this unspeakable tragedy.

Today, we mourn the passing of Bassam Saba, musical virtuoso and composer, husband and father, multi-instrumentalist and educator, conductor and leader, mentor and inspiration. His unparalleled talent, generosity, kind and gentle heart and youthful spirit has enriched thousands of lives around the world. All of us who learned, loved and laughed with Bassam, who have experienced his art and his tremendous presence, ache in deep, unspeakable grief. Bassam, no matter his world-renown, forever remained humble and loyal to his friends, students and colleagues, and to working tirelessly to preserve and promote a precious music and culture.

Bassam Saba co-founded the New York Arabic Orchestra in 2007, uniting musicians from all walks of life around the love of Arabic music. He traveled once a week for nearly a decade to train and mentor its members. In that time, we quickly became his second family. Now almost 15 years later, the orchestra is united by an unbreakable bond, both as an institution of committed Arabic music educators, and lifelong friends. The memory of Bassam's nay ringing in the warm August twilight of 2011 amidst a packed Lincoln Center, Damrosch Park, sums up his orchestra's legacy, bringing a once-feared culture out into the light - in the universal language of music - to be loved, celebrated and embraced by all of the city of New York.

Every concert, workshop, lesson, public school visit, college residency, touched the hearts and minds of each person who experienced him, regardless of age, race, politic or religion. Bassam's love for teaching was impossible to hide. He played and taught with both the excitement of a young child and a father's love. He always spent a little longer, and always gave everything he had. Whenever his hands took hold of an oud, or a violin, or a flute, he was transported with a smile, or closed eyes, and you couldn't help but to be transported with him. He was gentle, kind and patient, and had a sense of humor that was irresistible by even the largest of audiences - and his very own orchestra.

Despite the sadness expressed by us in the orchestra, as well as his students, colleagues and followers, Bassam left the U.S. in 2018 to take a prestigious position in his homeland of Lebanon as director of the National Conservatory. Regardless of the risks he knew he would face in a troubled country, he hoped to build a bridge between the U.S. and Middle East, interweaving his organization, the New York Arabic Orchestra and other prestigious orchestras throughout the world to create a global institution of culture and music. Bassam, having been in New York for more than half of his life, sorely missed his orchestra, friends, family and colleagues, but laid himself down in the service and hope of building something even greater. He always reminded us that he would be back, that he would bring us overseas to perform with him soon. We were all holding him to it.

Following his swearing in by the government of Lebanon, economic and political circumstances mounted and took their toll in the country. Bassam did not receive his salary for two years of service, and has yet to be compensated. Despite the financial injustice, devastating chemical explosion in Beirut, and the raging Covid-19 pandemic, Bassam persisted. He worked tirelessly on his mission to preserve, promote and rebuild a centuries-old musical culture, and unite the world in the language of music.