Inquirer and WHYY feature Al-Bustan and Chants of the East
Music Transcends the East-West DivideNovember 11, 2014 | by David Patrick Stearns
Suddenly, the yawning gulf between American and Arab music is closed with a voice.In a sweet, light tenor, the formidable Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife sings a passage to Philadelphia’s Prometheus Chamber Orchestra during a rehearsal Sunday at Haverford College, translating his music into something that doesn’t require either side to understand English or Arabic.The musicians are preparing for Saturday’s Haverford concert by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, the Philadelphia organization promoting Arabic culture. It will feature the U.S. premiere of Khalife’s hour-long Chants of the East. . . "
Keystone Boychoir Learns Arabic to Bridge Boundaries with SongNovember 13, 2014 | by Peter Crimmins
The Keystone [State] Boychoir singers, ranging from 8 to 18 years old, gathered Wednesday evening at a Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia to rehearse for a weekend premiere.The piece, “Chants of the East,” is a collection of folk tunes from the greater Syrian region, collaged together for orchestra by Lebanese composer Marcel Khalife. The work was [presented] commissioned by Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture, a local presenter of Arab culture, whose instrumental players – the Takht Ensemble — will perform the piece with full choir at Haverford College Saturday night.The Arabic songs are familiar to many people from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and Iraq — but not teenagers from Philadelphia. . .”