Zein Al-Jundi: Local treasure enriches Austin Austin Woman Magazine September 2005 By Erin Prather
Born and raised in Damascus, Syria, Zein Al-Jundi cannot remember a day during her childhood when she was not performing. She laughs when recalling that the word “shy” was never used to describe her.
“I’ve often said that it seems like I sang before I could talk and danced before I could walk. As a young child I had no apprehensions or fear of belting out a tune in front of anyone,” she said. “Throughout the neighborhood it was known that I sang, and I was requested to do so at gatherings of friends, families, or neighbors.”
It was at one of these gatherings that a TV producer discovered Al-Jundi. At just age 5, her voice was recorded for both radio and television. She soon became a household name and often performed at Damascus concert halls. She was 13 when the Syrian government elected her to be the soloist featured at the opening ceremony of the newly renovated Bosra Roman amphitheatre. Despite continuing success during her teenage years, Al-Jundi opted to stop singing before she graduated from high school.
“There were a couple of reasons for my decision. At that time entertainers were seen as second class socially; there was that attitude and prevalence of thinking. I had also known that I eventually wanted to be an architect. A few years back someone gave me a newspaper clipping of an interview I gave as a third grader. The interviewer had asked what I wanted to be, and I replied an architect. It was something I had always desired. Singing was wonderful, but I knew I would eventually leave it to concentrate on my studies and on making my career happen.”
In 1982 Al-Jundi came to Austin to complete a degree in architecture from the University of Texas. She would go on to marry and have two sons, Jamil and Kareem. No one in her new life knew she had once been a performer, and she only shared songs regularly with her sons.
“I only sang for my kids, usually before bedtime. The singing part of my life became distant. I had kids, earned a degree, and went through a divorce. Eventually I decided to earn a graduate degree in urban design. I presented my final graduate project in April 1994. The next day I was in a car accident.”
That accident became the next turning point in Al-Jundi’s life. A once active person who had taught aerobics, she now found herself in gut-wrenching pain that made it difficult to walk. The injuries caused Al-Jundi to sink into depression which made her recovery difficult.
“In Syria we have the Arabic saying ‘la takrahou shay'an, a'asa an yakouna khayron lakom.’ That translates into 'don’t hate something as it may turn out to be a blessing for you,” she said.
While healing, Al-Jundi commented to a former aerobics student that she missed teaching the class. She also missed playing the music from her extensive world collection that the class had exercised to. It turned out that the student worked for KOOP 91.7 radio station. He suggested Al-Jundi consider proposing a world music show to the station manager. She took his idea to heart and would DJ a world music radio show at KOOP for seven years.
“After the world music show, I was the DJ for another KOOP program that focused on Arabic music. During my time at the station I met artists, booking agents, and anyone who attended the Houston International Music Festival. A lot of those acts wanted to come play in Austin. I started being approached to book bands, and I thought, ‘Why not? I love this music.’ I approached La Zona Rosa and asked if they would be interested in having a show of world music. Once I booked bands to play here, local bands wanted to work with me.”
One thing led to another and before Al-Jundi knew it, she was booking many world bands in Austin. She formed her own company, World Music and Dance Productions, with the goal of promoting world cultures through their music and dance. During this time Al-Jundi also realized that music and dance could serve as part of her therapy for the injuries suffered in the car accident. She returned to teaching aerobics and also authentic belly dance, a skill she had learned during her time in Syria.
“The first two weeks of teaching aerobics were agony, but slowly I got back into shape. I realized that the combination of music and movement made me happier. I also began to teach belly dance because another aerobics student wanted to learn. She kept bugging me about it, until I finally capitulated. I told her if she recruited ten people for a class, I would teach for three months. That was eight years ago.”
The dance class would later perform a recital where Al-Jundi decided she herself would sing. The event would become the first Hafleh event that World Music and Dance Productions produced. A year later the company expanded to include The Arabic Bazaar, a retail import store, and Zein's Dance Studio. Located at the corner of Duval and 51st street, the store specializes in exotic and hand-crafted treasures from Syria, while the studio serves as a space for Al-Jundi to teach her belly dance classes.
“The Arabic Bazaar has been a blessing in many ways; one is that I go home more often to shop for merchandise. I love the Arabic market in Syria and used to go there constantly as a teenager. I love the scents, the sounds, the architecture…everything that they have in it. It’s this incredible energy. The store and studio is a connection to Syria; I have tried to create a small part of home here.”
In addition to dancing, Al-Jundi has become even more committed to singing. Last year her first CD, Traditional Songs from Syria, was released on the British music label, ARC music. Recent years have seen World Music and Dance Productions transformed from a booking agency into a managing production company for her performances. Additionally, Al-Jundi has been involved in the successful Red Fez’ Arabian Nights and continues to organize Hafleh events at La Zona Rosa each year. The next is September 10th.
When asked why she chose to return to her childhood profession, Al-Jundi smiled and said, “Music is a passion in me that never died but simply lay dormant for a long time. It returned to my life at the darkest moments and has brought a joy with it that has made my life lighter and brighter. People need to remember there are two things to bringing a dream from your head to reality: they must recognize that a door opens and that they must walk through it.”
An Arabic Hafleh With Zein Al-Jundi & The Arabic Hafleh All Star Band Saturday September 10th, 2005 La Zona Rosa. Contact WMD Productions at 512-533-9227 or email Zein@WMDproductions.com.
