ANNOUNCING SPECIAL TICKET PRICE FOR STUDENTS: $50 only! Get your tickets now!

Join us for an evening of celebration, tasty Arab cuisine, and beautiful music and art, while celebrating 10 years of Arab culture and education in Philadelphia!

Date: Saturday April 20, 2013

Time: 6:30-9:30pm – Master of Ceremonies Michaela Majoun, host of XPN Morning Show

• 6:30 – Doors Open
• 7:00 – Buffet Dinner (cash bar)
• 8:00 – 10-Year Retrospective
• 8:00 – Performance by Marcel Khalife with Al-Bustan’s Resident Takht Ensemble, and a live visual art performance by Kevork Mourad
• 9:30 – Live Auction

Location: Trinity Center for Urban Life, 22nd and Spruce St, Philadelphia
Download Parking Coupon for discounted parking

BE A SPONSOR and support Al-Bustan’s mission of presenting and teaching the Arabic language, arts, and culture!

Tickets: $150 per person -
Purchase tickets online, or send payment by mail with this invitation.

Tax deductible portion of ticket is $75. All proceeds benefit Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture.

RSVP:  extended to April 13, 2013

Seating capacity: limited to 190 so please get your tickets early!

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MARCEL KHALIFE is an internationally acclaimed Lebanese composer, oud master, and singer. Born in Amicht, Lebanon in 1950, Khalife began his music career studying the oud at the National Academy of Music in Beirut. He garnered attention early in his career in the Middle East and abroad for shining light on the oud as a solo performance instrument. In 1976, he formed the Al Mayadeen Ensemble and began to experiment synthesizing Arabic classical modes with contemporary Western instrumentation, and integrating poetry in his musical repertoire.

Khalife is distinguished by his dedication to the ideals of humanism and music’s ability to impart these ideals. This humanism has been a driving force of his music, which crosses the barriers of nationalism, religion, and culture. Moreover, Khalife’s music has the ability to give voice to those who have none. As he notes:

Nothing justifies our art other than to speak for those who cannot speak. This is the cause for which we dedicated our efforts, and the cause that endorsed our voices. We only wished to take it as far as we can, and vowed to release our work as songs of love for, and unity with, the victims of persecution everywhere.

In 2005, Khalife was named UNESCO Artist for Peace for his achievements as an artist and humanitarian. In 2008, he was named the music director and resident composer of the newly formed Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.

Al-Bustan is pleased to have hosted Marcel Khalife on March 13, 2011 in a concert honoring his work and longstanding contributions globally and in the Arab world. Khalife is Honorary Chair of Al-Bustan’s Advisory Board.

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KEVORK MOURAD, an artist of Armenian origin, was born in Kamechli, Syria. After his secondary education in Syria, he studied at the Yerevan Institute of Fine Arts in Armenia where he received his MFA in 1996. He came to the United States shortly after where he has performed and exhibited widely. Early on in his career, he developed a technique of spontaneous painting in which he shares the stage with musicians, his art created in counterpoint to their music. He has collaborated with a wide range of musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble, Kinan Azmeh, Ezequiel Viñao, Tambuco, Song Fusion, Mari Kimura, Ken Ueno, Liubo Borissov, Eve Beglarian, Rami Khalife, Maya Trio, SYOTOS, and Brooklyn Rider, among others. Mourad has performed and exhibited his paintings and works on paper in museums and concert halls around the world, including the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Tenri Center, Angel Orensantz, 92nd St. Y, Cooper Union, Rhode Island School of Design, Harvard University, Nara Museum in Japan, Rubin Museum, University of California, Santa Barbara, Chicago Institute of Art, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Juilliard’s “Beyond the Machine” Festival, Chelsea Museum of Art, the City University of New York, the American Museum of Natural History, Lincoln Center, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Al-Bustan is pleased to have presented Kevork Mourad in a collaborative project Roads to Damascus with Kinan Abou-afach in February 2013.

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MICHAELA MAJOUN is the award-winning host of the XPN Morning Show and The Women’s Music Hour on WXPN-FM.  In her over 20 years there the station has grown into one of the nation’s leading noncommercial public radio stations and a pioneer in the development of the AAA (Adult Album Alternative) radio format nationally.  Michaela has also been an interviewer for XPN’s national show, World Cafe with David Dye, now heard on over stations around the country, since it started two decades ago.  She’s included in the On the Air: Rock and Roll and Radio exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.  Michaela is WXPN’s arts maven, featuring Fall and Spring Arts Previews and the Friday Morning Arts Crawl, on the XPN Morning Show.

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Teacher Development Workshop:
The Life, Times, and Sounds of Umm Kulthum

Literacy, Social Studies and Music Educators are invited to attend this workshop about preeminent Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum whose extraordinary life provides a window into Arab arts, culture, and history.

This workshop will guide teachers through a new online curriculum unit about the life and legacy of Umm Kulthum. Created by a team of educators, artists, and digital designers with Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, the curriculum is designed to align with and incorporate American Common Core Standards, and can be used by literacy, social studies, music, and Arabic language educators. Workshop participants will gain an understanding of the historical context of Egypt during her lifetime, explore in some depth two of the ten lesson plans, and experience learning to sing an Egyptian song using the online music education tool.
Please visit Al-Bustan Digital Education

Date: Saturday, February 2, 2013
Time: 10am – 1pm (snacks provided)
Location: UPenn campus:  Room 25 at Williams Hall, 255 South 36th Street, Philadelphia
Cost: FREE
RSVP: contact us or call 267-809-3668
Notes: Space is limited, please register early to ensure a space. Teaching materials will be provided to workshop participants.

Workshop Agenda

1. Introducing Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture – Hazami Sayed, Executive Director, Al-Bustan

2. Curriculum Overview of Umm Kulthum: Her Life and Legacy – Hazami Sayed and Eric Lundblade, Education Coordinator, Al-Bustan

3. Historical Overview: Contextualizing Umm Kulthum – Alon Tam, PhD Candidate, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations Dept, UPenn

4. Music Demonstration and Song Lesson – Hanna Khoury, Director of Music Program, Al-Bustan

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November 2012

I was so into the music [at the concert with Husnu Senlendirici]. . . those minor scales and modes reach into your heart and pull it out and spread it across the universe. – David

I learned a whole lot of musical references such as the oud and the rhythms baladi and masmoudi. We learned how to express ourselves in the Arabic way: the writing and all the textures of Arab art. – Angel, 10th grader

These are just two examples of recent reactions from youth and adults touched by programs of Al-Bustan.

As we celebrate Al-Bustan’s 10th anniversary in 2012-13, we are at a critical juncture. With our vision and team of highly dedicated artists, educators, designers and staff we have been able to develop an array of innovative programs dedicated to presenting and teaching the Arabic language, arts, and culture. However, our ability to raise funds to further this vision and sustain these programs is not keeping pace with our potential to implement and innovate. We need your financial support moving forward!

To give you an overview of our programs this year, Al-Bustan offered:

• An Arabic language and cultural day camp which continues to thrive every July since 2002

• Weekly arts instruction at several public schools, serving over 250 students

• A community ensemble, The Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble comprised of instrumentalists and singers, in partnership with University of Pennsylvania

• An Arab music concert series and residency program, presenting internationally acclaimed artists with Al-Bustan’s resident takht ensemble in Philadelphia and other cities

• Al-Bustan Digital Education with interactive learning and playing tools for educators and students

With these initiatives, we are making an impact on students, educators, families, and lovers of culture from all ethnic backgrounds by:

• fostering cross-cultural exchanges across diverse socio-economic, ethnic, and religious communities

• utilizing multi-disciplinary approaches to encourage creative self-expression and critical thinking

• bringing together internationally acclaimed artists with students in workshops and residencies

• engaging educators and acclaimed Arab artists in developing cutting edge educational resources

To sustain our efforts and allow us to retain the amazingly talented team that we have, we need your help! While we have successfully obtained multi-year grant funding from government agencies and private foundations, in order for Al-Bustan to continue to thrive, we need the generous support of individuals like you who believe in our mission.

Now in particular is an opportune time to donate, thanks to two donors who have generously pledged $15,000 if we are able to raise another $15,000 between now and December 31, 2012.  This means that the impact of any contribution you make will be doubled and allow us to raise $30,000 before the end of this year!

Please invest in our mission to grow the seeds of Arab arts and culture — Please make your tax-deductible gift today! – click here

Here are the details for Thursday, July 26, 6-8pm:

• The program will open with a short performance by musicians Hafez El Ali Kotain and Joseph Mamari
• The campers’ presentation will include Moroccan folk music and dance, percussion, spoken word, a teen produced video, and an art exhibit.
• The event is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Upper School Auditorium of Springside School. Enter through the school’s main entrance at 8000 Cherokee St, Philadelphia 19118. Once you are in the building, pass through the lobby and turn left to find the auditorium.

To view the camp site and neighborhood map, click on the image below.