** ELEVATOR SERVICE HAS NOT BEEN RESTORED TO THE BUILDING AFTER HURRICANE SANDY DAMAGE. IF YOU PLAN TO ATTEND THIS CONCERT, PLEASE BE AWARE THAT IT IS ON THE 4th FLOOR**

In this concert, singer and oud player George Ziadeh will pay tribute to Syrian composers including Omar Al-Batsh, Yahya al-Saudi, and Farid el Atrash, and vocalist Sabah Fakhri. He will perform a variety of forms including Muwashshah, Qasida, and Taqtuqa.

Featuring:

George Ziadeh – vocals, ‘oud

Sami Abu Shumays – violin

Zafer Tawil–qanun

Johnny Farraj – riqq

George Ziadeh was born in Birzeit, Palestine, and pursued music from a young age. In 1986 he moved to the United States, where he has studied oud with Simon Shaheen and classical singing and voice with Youssef Kassab. George is considered an authority on maqam theory and Arab classical repertoire.

Tickets: $20 General (*buy now) | $15 for Students, Members and Seniors (*buy now) available at the door or online.

(*A small online fee is applied - use printout as your ticket)

Doors open at 7:30 p.m.

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Ensemble Bios:

Sami Abu Shumaysis an accomplished violinist and vocalist in the modern pan- Arab maqam tradition and founder and director of the ensemble Zikrayat,a tight knit, small scale Arabic orchestra devoted to original reinterpretations of the iconic, post-Ottoman popular repertoire of early- to mid-20th Century Egypt and the Levant.

New York-based Palestinian-American Zafer Tawil is a virtuosic performer on the oud, violin, qanun and a full range of Arab percussion instruments. He has performed with numerous musicians ranging from Sting to Arab music greats such as Simone Shaheen, Chab Mami, and Bassam Saba to avant-garde composer/performer Elliot Sharpe, among others. Zafer has composed music for a number of films including the Oscar-nominated Jonathan Demme film Rachel Getting Married.

Johnny Farraj has studied riqq (Egyptian tambourine) and frame drum with Karim Nagi and Fairuz's percussionist Michel Merhej, both featured in Brooklyn Maqam. He also studied oud with Simon Shaheen and Bassam Saba, and classical Arab singing with Rima Khcheich and Youssef Kassab. As a percussionist, he has performed with Simon Shaheen/ Qantara and Amir ElSaffar, and attends the Arabic Music Retreat annually.

Last updated: 2012-11-12 10:58:32