Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture and Trinity Center for Urban Life
present
Classical Arab Music Concert Series
featuring
HANNA KHOURY – Al-Bustan’s Music Director/violin
HAFEZ EL ALI KOTAIN – percussion
Hanna Khoury and Hafez El Ali Kotain performing in December 2009
Trinity's Great Hall
We invite you to four evenings of live Arab music. Each one-hour concert features a different theme related to Arab culture. Please join us for these first-rate performances!
- Location: Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia, PA 19103
- Admission: $10 per person, pay at the door
- Inquiries/RSVP: Please contact us or call 267-809-3668
Tuesday, February 23 7:30pm:
Music medley from the Arab world
The first concert in the series includes highlights of Arab music and its origins. The music performed ranges from influential Turkish compositions such as Longha Shahnaz to that of contemporary Arab composers living in America, such as Simon Shaheen and A.J. Racy. Also presented are compositions by Sheikh Sayyed Darwish, known as “the Soul of the People,” and Mohammad Abdel Wahab, the acclaimed Egyptian singer and composer whose songs were widely performed by Egyptian superstars Umm Kalthoum and Abdel Halim Hafez.
Thursday, March 18, 7:30pm
Music of Mohammad Abdel Wahab
Egyptian composer, singer, and actor Muhammad Abdel Wahab is one of the most distinguished musicians of the Arab world. He composed over 1,000 songs during his 74 year-long career, till his death in 1991. He is best-known for combining elements of Western music with traditional Egyptian sounds and orchestrations. As a singer he competed with Umm Kulthum before composing one of her greatest hits, Enta Omri. He also revolutionized Egyptian musical films with his performances in blockbusters such as The White Flower.
Wednesday, April 14, 7:30pm
Music of Arab-American composers
with guest performance by the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble
Works by Simon Shaheen, A.J. Racy, Kareem Roustom and Youssef Kassab are featured in this concert. Palestinian-American Simon Shaheen is an internationally famous composer and oud virtuoso. His album Blue Flame is critically acclaimed for its fusion of Arab music and Jazz. A.J. Racy is a Lebanese-American performer, composer and Professor of Ethnomusicology at UCLA. He is a master of numerous traditional Arab instruments and the author of scholarly texts on music in the Arab world. Kareem Roustom is a Syrian-born composer, guitarist and oud player. His works include film scores, pop songs, and the music genres of jazz, western classical music, and Arab classical.
Wednesday, May 26, 7:30pm
Music of the Three Musketeers (Al-Fursan Al-Talatha)
The composers Riad al-Sunbati, Zakariyya Ahmad and Muhammad as-Qasabji are collectively known as the Three Musketeers (Al-Fursan Al-Talatha). They became famous in the 1920’s for composing songs for the legendary Egyptian singer Umm Kalthoum. Each of these composers had a unique style. Of the three, Zakariyya Ahmad writes in the most traditional, Egyptian colloquial style. Muhammad al-Qasabji is known for incorporating European instruments and concepts such as harmony into his music. Riyad al-Sunbati also incorporates European instruments into his work especially the cello, bass, accordion, piano and mandolin.
Concert Series Poster
Trinity Center for Urban Life is dedicated to providing culture, education, and social outreach to the community.
Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture is dedicated to promoting Arabic language, arts, and culture.
For a scholarly essay on Arab music and its history, see four chapters written by ethnomusicologist A.J. Racy in The Genius of Arab Civilization: Source of Renaissance.
