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A Memorable Week with Vocalist Sonia M’Barek

March 18 – 26, 2012

Al-Bustan had the pleasure of hosting Tunisian vocalist SONIA M’BAREK for a week of performances and demonstrations in Philadelphia and New York. M’Barek, who was introduced to Arab and Tunisian music at an early age by her grandmother, entered the National Conservatory of Music in Tunisia at the age of 8 and made her stage debut at the age of 9. She has since become an an internationally recognized musician, as well as an established educator and scholar with a faculty position at the Conservatory and a PhD in Political Science.

The week began in Philadelphia with M’Barek meeting members of Al-Bustan Resident Takht Ensemble, led by Music Director Hanna Khoury, who had prepared extensively over the past few months to perform a selection of M’Barek’s songs. A rapport quickly developed between the musicians and M’Barek and continued over the week as they rehearsed and presented workshops and concerts.

On March 19, M’Barek met with members of the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble for a master class, followed by a demonstration open to the public, held at Houston Hall on the UPenn campus. Led by Music Director Hanna Khoury, the Ensemble consists of instrumentalists and singers who had learned M’Barek’s repertoire and were eager to perform three songs with her. M’Barek also gave a short overview of Andalusian and Ma’louf music and led the audience in learning a traditional Tunisian song titled “Nawbet Al-Khadra.”

The next morning, M’Barek led a demonstration performance to Philadelphia public school students. In partnership with LiveConnections.org, Al-Bustan brought together 100 students from Motivation High School and Penn Alexander School in the auditorium of World Cafe Live. M’Barek was joined by Hanna Khoury on violin, Kinan Abou-afach on cello, Kinan Idnawi on oud, Hicham Chami on qanun, Jerrell Jackson on bass, and Hafez El Ali Kotain on percussion. It was a wonderful demonstration and the attentive students participated in learning to sing the chorus part of the song Al-Anadhol (Anatolia).

Later that evening, M’Barek met with 50 members of the Keystone State Boychoir for rehearsal. She was astonished to see how they had memorized the songs and were able to pronounce the lyrics so well. As KSB is a seasoned choir that has toured around the world, it was a joy for Al-Bustan Music Director Hanna Khoury to work with them in the three months prior, teaching them the chorus part of five songs of M’Barek. It was the boys’ first introduction to the Arabic language, an experience that they clearly enjoyed as they immersed themselves in learning the music.

Photos of demonstrations by Al-Bustan and Photos of Philadelphia concert by Dana Scherer of Bamboo Photography:

The week culminated with two concerts by M’Barek with Al-Bustan Resident Takht Ensemble and singers from the Keystone State Boychoir, performing two concerts of Tunisian tarab. On Friday, March 23, they performed at the CUNY Graduate Center in New York City, presented in partnership with Alwan for the Arts. While in New York, M’Barek and Khoury gave an interview on WBAI radio. The second concert was held on Sunday, March 25 in Philadelphia at the Trinity Center for Urban Life. Both concerts opened with Jadakal Ghaythu (The Rain That Falls Upon You) a nostalgic look at the golden times of Al-Andalus. Aminti Billah (I Believed in God), a piece that speaks to the power of believing, followed. M’Barek then sang about overcoming hardships and remaining optimistic in spite of the distance from home in Durub Al-Hayat (The Paths of Life). Next, M’Barek performed Huriya (Freedom) a piece composed by M’Barek and dedicated to children living in war-torn countries. The Takht Ensemble then performed Karnabal, an instrumental piece composed by Kinan Abou-afach. M’Barek returned to perform Mihtara Bayn Ithnayn (Torn Between Two) and Ili T’adda Wa Fat (That Which Has Passed), a song from the 1970s, based on traditional Tunisian ma’luf that laments time passed with a loved one. The concert continued with Layali Ishbilya (Nights of Seville) and Hubi Yitbadil Yitjadid (My Love is Renewed). The final piece was Al-Anadol (Anatolia), a suite arranged by M’Barek as an homage to Turkish poet Nazem Hikmat who wrote extensively about the Mediterranean Sea.

M’Barek captured the attention of the audience with her musical prowess and the evident joy she takes in performing. The exceptional quality of the Resident Takht Ensemble and the Keystone State Boychoir complemented M’Barek’s powerful voice, resulting in two beautiful concert performances. A thoughtful review can be read in e-zine article by Johnny Faraj in Jadaliyya.

Video selection of pieces performed by Sonia M’Barek, Resident Takht Ensemble, and Keystone State Boychoir on Sunday, March 25:

To see more videos of the concert click here.

Posted on April 17, 2012 | Comments (0)

An Exhilarating Evening Sharing the Works of Kareem Roustom

The evening's finale "Dabke for Budrus" Photo by Evan Foster

On Saturday, February 25, Al-Bustan presented the fourth event in the Arab Music Concert Series featuring the works of Syrian-American composer, Kareem Roustom. It was an evening of contemporary music that delighted and challenged the audience by defying genre or classification. Roustom masterfully interweaves western classical training and a deep knowledge of Arab music and poetry with beautiful results.

The evening began with Roustom presenting excerpts from Budrus, The Mosque in Morgantown, and Amreeka, films for which he composed the scores. Roustom has received great acclaim for his film scores including an Emmy nomination for his work on The Mosque in Morgantown. He noted that the purpose of a film score is to compliment the film, fluctuating between subtle and unobtrusive music that stays out of the way and music that takes charge of the emotional flow at other times.

For the first performance, Roustom joined the ensemble on his composition of Sama’i Nahawand, with Roustom on oud, Hanna Khoury on viola, Vladimir Dyo on violin, Kinan Abou-afach on cello, and Kinan Azmeh on clarinet. The Sama’i is a musical form with roots in Ottoman classical music that date back to the 15^th century. For hundreds of years Arab composers have utilized this form to compose instrumental music. Based on a ten beat metric pattern called sama’i thaqil, the sama’i form has five sections, four of which are called Khane’ and the Teslim, or refrain, which is repeated four times throughout the performance of the work. The word Nahawand in the title refers to the maqam, or tonality, on which this is based.

The next segment of the concert featured a fantastically complex piece titled Buhur, performed with great skill and energy by a quartet comprised of Dyo on violin, Khoury on viola, Abou-afach on cello, and Azmeh on clarinet. This pieced is based on the rhythmic patterns of three of the 16 poetic meters in Arabic poetry known as the buhur, the plural of “sea” in Arabic.

The highlight of the evening was the US Premiere of Abu Jmeel’s Daughter, a musical retelling of an old Arab folktale that speaks of love, deception, and patience. Led by Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson — Music Director of the Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra, this captivating story was brought to life in Roustom’s composition which was performed by Megan Emigh on flute, Dyo on violin, Khoury on viola, Abou-afach on cello, Azmeh on clarinet, and the lyrical narration of storyteller Leila Buck.

The performance ended with all the musicians playing a film score piece, Dabke for Budrus. Like the traditional music that accompanies dabke, a popular form of folk dance in the Levant, this piece ended the evening on a lively upbeat note.

Highlights of the evening in photos taken by Evan Foster… video clips to follow soon.

The evening ended with some audience members staying for a Q&A with Roustom and Buck. They discussed aspects of Roustom’s approach to composition, and explored the complex depiction of women in Abu Jmeel’s Daughter. As Buck noted, Abu Jmeel’s Duaghter is similar to other folktales from the past with an engaging storyline in that it reflects the times in which it was told though it isn’t necessarily representative of contemporary society .

We are grateful to Kareem Roustom for creating such a diverse body of work. Thanks also to the performers for their dedication and energy and to Al-Bustan staff and volunteers for making this such a special evening!

Posted on March 15, 2012 | Comments (0)

Poetics of Suheir Hammad Meet Musicality of Concert Series

Suheir Hammad reading selections from her book "ZaatarDiva"

On Friday, December 9, 2011 Al-Bustan presented the third event of the Arab Mus ic Concert Series, featuring The Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble and guest poet Suheir Hammad, to an audience of 320+ who filled the Great Hall of Trinity Center for Urban Life in Center City Philadelphia.

The evening opened with The Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble led by Music Director Hanna Khoury. The Ensemble, offered as a course for credit through the University of Pennsylvania’s Music Department, is open to both Penn students and community members. The instrumentalists played a selection of compositions by A. J. Racy, namely Promenade, Salam 2, Sama’i Nahawand, and Mayyala. Their engaging performance was a testament to the dedication of the musicians, the leadership of Hanna Khoury, and the recent master class with A. J. Racy during his visit for the second concert of the series. The last piece Mayyala included a percussion solo by Hafez El Ali Kotain and members of the percussion ensemble who rocked the hall with their energy. The choir performed Ana Winta by Farid al-Atrach, and with the accompaniment of many in the audience, they also sang popular favorites: Nassam Alayna by the Rahbani Brothers, Yalli Zara’tu ElBurta’an by Mohamed Abdel Wahab, and Fog El Nakhl.

As soon as the Ensemble finished their set, Suheir Hammad surprised the audience by emerging from the back of the hall while reciting her poem mike check. Thus began the remainder of the evening which had the audience mesmerized by the synergy of spoken word and music. Hammad’s poetry is imbued with cultural references to her roots in Palestine and her upbringing in America as evident in brooklyn and gaza suite. She was raised on the music of Egyptian diva Umm Kulthoum as she recounts in Bint Il Neel, while also being equally influenced by American icons such as Sam Cooke who figures prominently in Daddy’s Song.

In a beautifully creative collaborative effort, Hammad performed a selection of her poems with a takht ensemble comprised of Hanna Khoury on violin, Kinan Idnawi on oud, Kinan Abou-afach on cello, and Hafez El Ali Kotain on percussion. The poetry and music flowed back and forth, each informing the other, with a lyrical exchange that included Into Egypt, Sawah, Talisman, and Not your Erotic, Not Your Exotic, and music excerpts from Ana fi Intizarak, Change is Gonna Come, Ahwak, Ya Msaharni, Ana Albi Elek Mayyal, Khosara, Samara ya Samara, and Wake Up Everybody. A special appearance came towards the end when Hammad invited two young percussionist Jad and Mazin Blaik to accompany her on What I Will, a powerful piece that resonates with rhythm in defiance of war. The last set of the evening included Karnabal, an energetic instrumental composition by Kinan Abou-afach, thrilling the audience with the ensemble’s exceptional musicianship, and ended with Hammad’s moving ode to Beirut, (wind) break (her) performed to an original composition by Abou-afach.

All in all it was truly a magical evening. It was heartwarming to see the audience’s reaction…as one audience member affectionately remarked:

The evening was pure artistry on every level. I don’t think anyone left that night without a deep feeling of gratitude and inspiration.

Video selection of poems by Suheir Hammad:

To see more videos of the concert click here.

We are grateful to the all the performers for their dedication and creativity and to Al-Bustan staff and volunteers for their hard work!

This event would not have been possible without our supporters — we especially thank the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation for supporting the launch of the Arab Music Concert Series and bringing the poetics of Suheir Hammad to meet the musicality of our concert series.

Posted on December 20, 2011 | Comments (0)

Arab Music Concert Series features A. J. Racy

November 14-20, 2011

Al-Bustan was honored to host multi-instrumentalist, composer, and scholar A.J. Racy who shared his expertise with the Philadelphia community during an inspiring week consisting of a master class, demonstration, rehearsals, and performances.

His master class on Monday evening with members of the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble at UPenn’s Music Department elucidated some of the theory and technique behind Arab musical compositions and performance. He led Ensemble members in a call and response of the melodic mode Darij Rast Maqam. The Ensemble then performed for Racy two of his compositions which they have been learning this semester. Racy was delighted with their musicianship and eagerly asked the Ensemble to play the pieces again with his accompaniment on the buzuq and nay.

On Tuesday morning, Al-Bustan partnered with LiveConnections.org to present a demonstration of Arab Music led by A. J. Racy, with Hanna Khoury on violin, Kinan Abou-afach on cello, Jerrell Jackson on bass, and Hafez El Ali Kotain on percussion. A group of 110 students from University City High School and Science Leadership Academy gathered in the auditorium at World Cafe Live for a 1.5 hour presentation. Racy made connections between Arab and Western classical music as he explained that like a banjo, the buzuq has a long neck with frets that show you where to place your fingers to produce notes in tune. Because Arabic music has notes in between the black and white keys on a piano, the buzuq has more frets than the banjo. As Racy explained, “there are more notes for melody in Arab music than in western music and we grow up learning to play them so that they don’t sound out of tune.” The musicians played several of Racy’s compositions, encouraging the students to join in by clapping along to the malfouf rhythm (dum tak tak) during Longa Nahawand, and ended with Mayyala, a lively piece for festivity and dancing that has a solo for each instrument. The session ended with the students asking many eager questions about each musician’s background and instrument.

In the subsequent days, Racy met daily for rehearsals with the takht ensemble led by Music Director Hanna Khoury on violin, including Kinan Abou-afach on cello, Hicham Chami on qanun, and Hafez El Ali Kotain on percussion. As Racy’s visit coincided with the Society for Ethnomusicology Conference held in Philadelphia, he was awarded by SEM the 2011 Robert Stevenson Prize “in recognition of his stellar achievements in both ethnomusicology and composition.” These achievements were evident in the two beautiful concerts held on Friday evening and Sunday afternoon at the Trinity Center for Urban Life, where Racy’s compositions were featured and he dazzled the audience with his performance on the nay, buzuq, and mijwiz.

Racy’s compositions showcased his knowledge of and appreciation for Arab classical music and the music of other world traditions, while allowing for improvisation, an integral part of Arab music. The concerts began with a Sama’i, which is a multi-sectional slow musical form, followed by Salam 2, a musical salutation originally composed for a film series. Several solo improvisations led to Sama’i Nahawand and Longa Nahawand, followed byYears of Love, a composition of variations on traditional tunes that Racy heard as a young boy growing up in Lebanon. The influence of other music traditions on Racy’s work wass exemplified in A bientôt, a a melodic piece that began with a stunning cello solo by Kinan Abou-afach.

Racy mesmerized the audience with his performance on the mijwiz, a double pipe which is typically played outdoors as a solo instrument in folk music and dance. It requires circular breathing, a difficult technique wherein the performer produces music continuously while not appearing to be breathing. The instrument produces a piercing sound which according to Racy has the power to induce trances. The evening ended with Mayyala where the musicianship of each musician shined as they each took a solo improvisation in Racy’s lively composition.

Overall, the week hosting Racy was a true delight! His talents, scholarship, wealth of knowledge, and warmth inspired youth and adults in Philadelphia as well as those visiting musicians and scholars from around the world. We are grateful for the leadership of Music Director Hanna Khoury and fellow musicians for their dedication, and thank our partners at SEM, Trinity Center, and UPenn for making this week such a success!

Photos during master class at UPenn and demonstration at World Cafe Live

Photos at Concert taken by Bamboo Photography

In this piece called “Village Fest” Racy plays mijwiz and Hafez El Ali Kotain is on percussion:

To see more videos from the Arab Music Concert Series click here.

Posted on November 17, 2011 | Also posted in Music Ensemble, Presents, Schools | Comments (0)

Youssef Kassab Opens Arab Music Concert Series

Photo by Ryan Mancuso

On October 29, 2011, in spite of the cold weather and the season’s first snowstorm, diverse members of the Philadelphia community gathered at the Great Hall of the Trinity Center for Urban Life to hear charismatic vocalist YOUSSEF KASSAB perform music from the Golden Age of Syria and Egypt.

Born in Syria, Kassab studied qanun and voice at the Damascus Conservatory before immigrating in 1969 to America, where he settled in New York City and pursued a career performing Arab music around the country.

The evening’s performance showcased music from the 1920s to 1950s, a period of prolific music production often referred to as the “Golden Age” and made famous by renowned composers and singers such Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Farid Al-Atrach, Asmahan, and Umm Kulthum.

Kassab sang with a resident takht ensemble led by Music Director Hanna Khoury, with Khoury on violin, Hafez El Ali Kotain on percussion, Kinan Abou-afach on cello, Hicham Chami on qanun, and Adeeb Refela on oud. The ensemble also played several instrumental pieces, including Kassab’s composition Sama’i Kurd, and compositions by Abdel Wahab, Al-Nahr Al-Khaled and Khatwet Habibi.

This concert marked the opening of Al-Bustan’s Arab Music Concert Series and will be followed in the coming months with five more concerts each featuring a different guest soloist.

Visit Al-Bustan’s blog for reflections by staff member Miranda Bennett on the Golden Age of Arab Art and an Interview with Youssef Kassab.

Beautiful photos taken by Langdon Photography. . . video clips to follow soon!

Posted on November 8, 2011 | Also posted in Presents | Comments (0)

Al-Bustan Receives Knight Foundation Grant

Al-Bustan staff and board at the Knight Foundation Awards Reception, May 9, 2011

Al-Bustan will offer the Philadelphia community opportunities to hear exemplary Arab music on a regular basis starting this fall, thanks to support from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

We are pleased to be one of 36 grant recipients, chosen from 1,752 applicants, of the foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge. The $50,000 grant, which is to be matched, allows Al-Bustan to present An Arab Music Concert Series in Philadelphia from fall 2011 to spring 2012.

Similar in concept to a western chamber orchestra, a resident music ensemble, known as “takht” in Arabic, will perform the classical Arab music repertoire featuring a different guest soloist for each program. Al-Bustan is able to bring together an ensemble of exceptional experience and musicianship with its Music Director Hanna Khoury who was awarded a prestigious 2010 Pew Fellowship in the Arts for his talent in Arab music. The primary venue for the five concerts will be at Trinity Center for Urban Life in Center City.

Khoury notes, “This grant allows us to provide the Arab community an opportunity to hear classical music they are very familiar with, while also giving non-Arabs the chance to appreciate Arab culture by experiencing exemplary live performances.”

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation’s Knight Arts Challenge is a $9 million initiative supporting innovative projects that inspire and enrich Philadelphia’s communities.

“Like few other things, the arts can engage a community. We’re looking forward to the series bringing Philadelphians together to enjoy great music,” remarks Dennis Scholl, Knight Foundation’s Vice President of Arts.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation advances journalism in the digital age and invests in the vitality of communities where the Knight brothers owned newspapers. Knight Foundation focuses on projects that promote informed and engaged communities and lead to transformational change.

If you would like to learn more about and participate in Al-Bustan’s Knight Matching Challenge, contact us or call 267-809-3668.

See coverage of Al-Bustan’s award in Philadelphia Inquirer.

For press inquiries for the Knight Arts Challenge, contact Marc Fest, fest@knightfoundation.org, 305-908-2677.

Posted on May 17, 2011 | Comments (0)

Featuring Maron Khoury in Western/Arab Music

On April 30, 2011 Al-Bustan and Trinity Center for Urban Life presented Maron Khoury, Hugh Sung, and the Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble in an Evening of Western and Arab Classical Music. The program showcased a high caliber of music from both traditions and was attended by a diverse audience of 100 people.

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The evening opened with Hanna Khoury, Violinist and Music Director of Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble, introducing the Arab repertoire. He explained some differences between Arab and Western music, noting that while the violin is integral to both traditions, it is tuned differently to play Arab music. The notation is a lot freer and up to one’s own interpretation in Arab music.

The Ensemble opened with Watani Habibi, a composition by Egyptian Mohammed Abdel-Wahhab, written as an ode to the pan-Arab nationalist movement in 1960 when it was originally performed by seven singers from seven Arab countries. The Ensemble followed with Yallee Zaratu El-Burtuan by Mohammed Abdel-Wahab, and Nassam Alayna, a Rahbani Brothers composition for legendary Lebanese singer Fairuz. The audience was then delighted to hear the Ensemble perform a reprise of the song Rakwet Arab from the memorable March 13 concert honoring Marcel Khalife.

Hanna Khoury then introduced the evening’s featured guest, his brother Maron Khoury. Maron was appointed to the second flute position at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York City at age 20, and now a year and half later is a tenured member of the Orchestra. Maron started to play the flute at the age of 11; three years after which he was admitted to the Curtis Institute to study with renowned flutist Jeffrey Khaner from 2005 to 2009.

Accompanying Maron Khoury was Hugh Sung, pianist at The Curtis Institute of Music. They began with Sonata for Flute and Piano in E major “Undine” Opus 167 by Carl Reinecke. The duo then dazzled the audience with Fantaisie Sur Le Freischutz composed by Taffanel and Saint-Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso Op.28. Maron performed two encores, ending on a fast paced note with his superb performance of Flight of the Bumble Bee by Rimsky-Korsakov.

As a culminating finale, Maron Khoury joined Hanna Khoury and master percussionist Hafez El Ali Kotain with instrumentalists of The Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble in a fantastic performance of Dance Mediterranea, a composition by Palestinian composer/musician Simon Shaheen. The works of Shaheen incorporate the legacy of classical Arabic music while embracing elements of American jazz including improvisation. Maron, Hanna, and Hafez each wowed the crowd with their improvisations and brought many in the audience to their feet in awe. The symbiosis of Arab and Western traditions that this piece exemplifies was the perfect end to an enjoyable and educational evening. Thank you to all who joined us!

See videos of select pieces…

Maron Khoury and Hugh Sung perform Fantaisie sur le Freischutz

Maron Khoury and Hugh Sung perform Minuet and Badineri

Maron Khoury and Hanna Khoury perform Dance Mediterranea with Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble

Posted on May 15, 2011 | Also posted in Presents | Comments (0)

A Day of Poetry and Hip-Hop

March 31, 2011 in Philadelphia: Spoken Word and Hip-Hop were the theme of the day.

The eloquent artists of The Human Writes Project sparked conversations on a range of social justice issues. Mexican-American poet/educator MARK GONZALES, Palestinian-American MC/writer NIZAR WATTAD, and Syrican-American MC/architect OMAR OFFENDUM, shared their passion for standing united against injustice. Drawing on literature, political events, and their own life stories, the three artists demonstrated the universality of the human experience in their presentations. From loving someone despite a family’s disapproval (as in Romeo and Juliet and Majnoon Layla) to being denied freedom by the establishment of barriers (like the wall between the US and Mexico and the Israeli wall in the West Bank) they made connections across the globe.

Their first stop in the morning was at Northeast High School, the largest school in the Philadelphia district, where Al-Bustan has ongoing Arab arts programming. After taking a quick poll of the 70 students gathered and hearing that almost all were born outside of America, Gonzales opened with a deeply moving poem, “Made in America,” which begins “In 1975 this Mexican was born in Alaska, land of the midnight sun, and by the age of one forget trying to crawl, I wanted to walk and talk in my own language even though I couldn’t understand….I was made and born and raised in America…”

As each of the guests performed excerpts of their work they acknowledged the diversity of the students while emphasizing the importance of reaching out to those who seem different from us. Wattad invited the audience to engage, asking “Are there any people who love words as much as I do?” This encouraged the students to share something about themselves, and one student got up to the stage and rapped his own poem to great applause from his peers. This pushed one of the teachers to also take center stage and burst in song with Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love with You. As the hour of thought-provoking inspiration and sharing drew to an end, Offendum offered these parting words: “We’re all in this together: one world, one love.” This whole exchange at Northeast High was captured in a web piece by WHYY-TV’s Friday Arts Program.

The guest artists’ second stop was at the UPenn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology where they performed their play Brooklyn Beats to Beirut Streets, co-presented by Al-Bustan and several UPenn departments and student groups. In this spoken word performance to an audience of almost 100 students, faculty, and community residents, Gonzales, Wattad and Offendum wove a chronology of their personal stories with concurrent political events and moments in the development of Hip-Hop. Although we may have personal attachments to certain issues, their point is that we live in an interconnected world that requires us to be aware of injustices outside of our personal sphere, and that we can no longer separate our actions from their ramifications on the lives of others. It was a sobering, thought-provoking presentation with keen wit and humor which culminated in a long Q & A with audience members.

The day ended on the UPenn campus with a Hip-Hop performance at St. Mary’s Parish Hall. Gonzales delivered impassioned poetry; Wattad, aka Ragtop, entertained the crowd with cuts from Free the P; and Offendum performed his latest songs from the newly released album SyrianAmericana.

It was truly an inspiring day of education and entertainment. Thank you to our amazing guests, our co-presenters and school partners, and all the wonderful people that joined us!

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Posted on April 17, 2011 | Comments (0)

Performance at DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts

The Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble was fortunate to have its first appearance out-of-town on March 26, 2011.

At the invitation of DIWAN: A Forum for the Arts, which is an initiative of the Arab American National Museum, members of the Ensemble performed on the second day of the conference held at the Graduate Center for City University of New York.

Led by Music Director Hanna Khoury the Ensemble of singers and instrumentalists performed music from Lebanon and Egypt, including works composed by Marcel Khalife and Sayed Darwish. The audience, was very receptive and clapped along to popular songs like Muntasiba Al-Kamati, Ya Bahriye, and Bint Al-Chalabiya. As an encore, Khoury and Percussion Director Hafez El Ali Kotain performed two duets with taqasim on the violin and percussion solo.

Holly Arida, Event Coordinator of DIWAN 2011, later remarked: As riveting of a performance as it was on stage, I actually found myself wanting to take pictures of the audience to capture their expressions of utter joy and surprise in seeing and hearing your troupe singing deep Arab sentiments, in their words and in their language, and so earnestly celebrating Arab culture….As a fellow educator who is dedicated to teaching to cross cultural competence, the educational model that you offer is daring and groundbreaking as it cuts across generations, skill level, and cultural boundaries for people to learn together.

Overall, the DIWAN conference was a huge success with many artists and scholar from around the country converging to present and converse about a myriad of issues, ranging from reflections on 9/11 in the works of Arab American artists to how art shapes perceptions about Arab Americans. For more info about the conference, please visit DIWAN.

Photos Courtesy of DIWAN (except for first photo):

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Posted on April 12, 2011 | Comments (0)

A Most Memorable Concert with Marcel Khalife

On March 13, 2011 Al-Bustan and Trinity Center for Urban Life welcomed UNESCO Artist for Peace MARCEL KHALIFE to Philadelphia in a sold-out concert. The evening was a resounding success and will be remembered for years to come. Thanks to all who participated and attended!

The concert was the culmination of months of preparation by youth and adults learning a select repertoire of Marcel Khalife. With much time and dedication, Al-Bustan’s Music Director Hanna Khoury and Percussionist Hafez El Ali Kotain worked with students at seven sites introducing them to Arab culture and the music of Marcel Khalife. The ensembles included Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble, Swarthmore College, Wilmington Children’s Chorus, along with Moffet, Motivation, Northeast and Science Leadership Academy Schools.

Photos by Ayman Alalao:

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The concert brought together almost 140 singers and instrumentalists performing selections of Khalife’s work, honoring his longstanding contributions globally and in the Arab world. The first part led by Hanna Khoury included 10 compositions by Khalife performed by The Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble, with accompaniment by singers from the various schools. Sama’i Bayati was the opening piece, followed by Khalife’s most popular songs: Amuru Bismiki, Rakwet Arab, Ya Naseema Al-Rih, Fil Bali Ughniaton, Ya Sa’da, Muntasiba Al-Kamati, Asfoor, Amar El-Mraye, and Ya Bahriye.

When the guest of honor and his son Bachar Khalife took to the stage, the overjoyed audience greeted them with standing ovation. Moved by the performance and the dedication of the musicians, Khalife requested that they join him in singing Asfoor and Fil Bali Ughniaton again. It was an unrehearsed spontaneous joint-performance that created a magical sense of awe and joy in the hall.

In response to a highly enthusiastic audience, Marcel Khalife performed Ummi and Rita with his son, bringing tears of joy and emotion to many. The concert ended with everyone singing along to Muntasiba Al-Kamati, after Khalife graciously thanked everyone and saluted the youth and revolutionaries of the Arab world.

In honoring Marcel Khalife, Executive Director Hazami Sayed presented him with two gifts: an encaustic painting “Music of Peace” created by visual artist Tremain Smith, and a poster, designed by Ayman Alalao, comprised of all 140 student names in the image of Marcel Khalife with signatures of the participants.

Photos by Dana Scherer of Bamboo Photography:

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Watch a selection of video clips below….to see more videos of the concert click here.

Asfoor (Sparrow) with Marcel and Bachar Khalife

Rakwet Arab (Arabic Coffeetpot) led by Music Director Hanna Khoury

Posted on March 24, 2011 | Comments (0)