Twelve year old Naia Alkhouri composed a song especially about Celia to perform with her group for the launch of the portrait on 6th December 2015.
Naia sings, while her brother Luka plays the trombone, her father Michel plays double base, her peers, Caterina Moreno plays guitar and Fintan Spencer is on piano.
Michel Alkhouri is a music and singing teacher and has worked extensively helping children to express themselves through music. He recently completed a huge project with children from a local school. They wrote songs about what home meant to them and performed their creations to a public audience to raise money and interest to help Syrian refugees to have a chance, as they have, to express their feeling through art and music.
Michel has created a website to promote this. On the home page he explains
Make Foundation is a registered charity working to bring music, technology and art projects to refugee communities displaced by Syria’s civil war. Shelter, food and medicine are vital necessities in any crisis, but minds hurt too. Creative mediums like music offer displaced children an inner refuge, a means of expression and much needed joy.
You can read more about this work and hear Naia sing other songs at this website: http://www.makefoundation.org
The first song Naia composed when she was 7 years old , ‘Naia’s song – I love you‘ is on Youtube. Here her brother Luka 4 years old is filmed dancing. Naia’s mother, Michelle Carlie-Alkhouri, an artist and journalist, created the accompanying video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPW9qQMgYhM
In this video on Youtube Naia now 9 years old, is singing her song ‘I Love You’, again with brother Luka 6 on mouth-organ (with an extra creation by him on guitar at the end of the video), father Michel is on double base, Brian Main on drums and Orlando Sanchez Placencia on guitar. Michelle again filmed and edited: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAYBipj8yYA
Oh Celia
Oh Celia, now that you have gone life’s so different without you.
But I’m glad I know that you’ll always be beside me; so gently, go gently.
And when life seems hard you’re always up above watching down on me from the Celia moon.
You gotta find the magic in yourself and everybody else will see it shine.
Kind to me and you.
Always so, so true, Oh Celia, Celia.
Sometimes in life you have to say goodbye to the ones you’ll miss the most.
Loving and giving to everyone and believing in you and me.
Every child is born and filled with their own pure brand of magic.
You gotta find the magic in yourself and everybody else will see it shine.
Kind to me and you.
Always so, so true, Oh Celia, Celia.
Death leaves a pain, a sea of loss, that nothing can take away.
But love mends your heart, so no one can break it. Your joy stays in my memories
And when I’m feeling down, I’m happy you’ll be around within me saying go gently.
You gotta find the magic in yourself and everybody else will see it shine.
Kind to me and you.
Always so, so true, Oh Celia, Celia.
And when life seems hard you’re always up above watching down on me from the Celia moon.
You gotta find the magic in yourself and everybody else will see it shine.
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Naia quotes many of Celia’s favourite saying. To explore more of Celia’s words go to her website: www.celialashlie.nz