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Thursday, January 21, 2016 4:15pm ET by  
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Damon Albarn reuniting with Syrian National Orchestra

Hitmaker Damon Albarn will reunite with the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music at a special concert at London’s Southbank Centre this summer (June 25).

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme yesterday, Albarn explained that he first performed with the orchestra eight years ago, at the Damascus Opera House in 2008 and then brought them in to play on Gorillaz’s 2010 offering, Plastic Beach: "It's a truly miraculous sound that they create."

He confessed that Syria was an “extraordinary and beautiful country” when he first travelled there, adding “and then Syria changed, almost overnight. Ever since then, I've watched from a distance and felt utterly helpless, wondering about all of the lovely people I've got to know.”

Referring to the orchestra's sound, he said: “There's a whole choir, there's strings, there's soloists, there's amazing percussion - it's a really, really dynamic and joyous sound, and it's stayed with me all these years. I'm really excited to be able to somehow share that with people.”

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Watch Gorillaz performing with the orchestra here:

 

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