In this concert, which is titled The Evolution of Arabic Music 1900-2019, Faraj Abyad and his nine piece orchestra will take you on a historical journey through the evolution of arabic music. The performance will showcase music from the pre-recording era of the 19th century and progress through the subsequent time periods, concluding with contemporary arabic music. The show will begin with compositions from Sayyed Darwish and Oum Kalthoum, and conclude with songs from contemporary pop artists such as Hussain Al Jassmi and Fadl Shaker. Composers and singers from around the Arabic world and throughout the past two centuries will be covered. These artists include Sabah Fakhri, Farid El Atrash, Fairuz, Wadi El Safi, Abdel Halim Hafez, Nagat El Saghira, Mohammed Abdo, George Wassouf, Fadl Shaker, Kazim El Saher, and more.
Faraj Abyad is a contemporary singer and multi-instrumentalist of Syrian/Aleppian descent based in New York City, who specializes in performing traditional Arabic music. He often performs concerts, in which he gathers distinguished musicians and singers from around the Middle East, to advocate classical Arabic music in a contemporary world. His goal as a musician and singer to preserve and uphold the timeless beauty of ancestral Arabic music, while advancing and progressing their historic melodies to appeal to the modern ear. Although his primary role in the orchestra is as a singer, he also is particularly skilled on oud and violin.
Layth Sidiq is a international award-winning violinist, composer and educator. Born in Iraq and raised in Jordan, Layth’s music is described as a ‘glimpse of the past through a futuristic lens.’ His album Son of Tigris is a clear example of the unity between Arabic music and jazz, which led to it earning a performance at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2016. Layth has toured the world with various acclaimed ensembles and has performed in prestigious venues with award-winning artists like Simon Shaheen, Javier Limon, Danilo Perez, Jack Dejohnette, Tigran Hamasyan, Shreya Ghoshal and Gary Burton to name a few. He is a member of Simon Shaheen’s Qantara Ensemble, Javier Limón’s OQ band and Danilo Perez's Global Messengers sextet. Layth is now based in Boston, where he currently directs the Arab Music Ensemble at Tufts University, as well as the Center for Arabic Culture's Orchestra Program, and is a faculty member at Simon Shaheen's annual Arabic Music Retreat.
Nidal Ibourk: Nidal specializes in arabic singing within the traditional Lebanese, Egyptian, and Moroccan repertoire. She has sang in distinguished international venues in the U.S & Canada such as the World Music Institute in New York City, San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art, Detroit Music Hall, Lincoln Theater in Washington DC, Chicago Millennium Park, the Arab American National Museum in Detroit, Oscar Peterson Hall in Montreal and Canada’s prestigious Royal Conservatory in Toronto. What distinguishes Nidal as a singer is her ability to present the classical arabic songs with a modern but yet authentic interpretation.
Syrian Youth Empowerment is a non-profit organization which is partnering with Faraj Abyad and his orchestra for this event. SYE is an initiative to support access to higher education for Syrian high school and refugee students. Founded in 2016, SYE helps students by providing comprehensive 1-on-1 mentorship with experienced mentors. SYE also provides students with valuable resources to help with personal essays, university selection, college applications, as well as required language proficiency tests (TOEFL, SAT, etc.), among many other services.
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