Robert Browning Associates & Lotus Music & Dance in partnership with Brooklyn Maqam  present
​Saturday, November 23, 2019 8:00 PM                
HAMID AL-SAADI with SAFAAFIR 
featuring AMIR ELSAFFAR, DENA EL SAFFAR & TIM MOORE​
Journey to the Heart of the Iraqi Maqam 


​Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue
Downtown Brooklyn  | tel. 917-267-0363

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The Iraqi maqam, one of Iraq’s richest cultural offerings, features sophisticated melodies, infectious rhythms, and eloquent poetry. Hamid Al-Saadi, Iraq’s foremost exponent of this centuries-old tradition, is renowned for his powerful voice and highly ornamented style, as well as his comprehensive knowledge of the intricate details of the music and poetry of Iraq. He studied with the legendary Yusuf Omar, who named Al-Saadi as his successor. Muhammed Al-Gubbenchi, who taught Omar and was probably the most influential maqam reciter in history, said that he considered Al-Saadi to be the "ideal link to pass on the maqam to future generations." Al-Saadi is the only person from his generation to have memorized and mastered all 56 maqamat from the Baghdad repertoire, and is one of the few vocalists to keep this maqam alive today. 

He is joined by Safaafir, the only US-based ensemble dedicated to performing the Iraqi maqam in its traditional format. The group is led by Amir ElSaffar (santur-zither) and Dena El Saffar (violin, joza - bowed lute) of Iraqi descent and features Tim Moore on percussion. Additional accompanists will be: George Ziadeh ('ud),, Zahra Zubaidi (vocal), Zahra Ali (vocal) and Omar Dewachi, (vocal). 

Tickets: $30; seniors, students $26

Hamid Al-Saadi is in the United States with support from IIE’s Artist Protection Fund and is currently an Artist Protection Fund Fellow in residence at Rutgers University and Sarah Lawrence College.

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