©Jack Vartoogian/Front Row Photos
Robert Browning Associates, Lotus Music & Dance, and Roulette present
Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 8:00pm
Simon Shaheen
Music of the Arab World
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue
Downtown Brooklyn | tel. 917-267-0363
Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 8:00pm
Simon Shaheen
Music of the Arab World
Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue at 3rd Avenue
Downtown Brooklyn | tel. 917-267-0363
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Simon Shaheen is one of the world’s greatest players of the ‘ud (short-necked fretted lute that is the ancestor of the European lute) and one of the most influential Arab musicians and composers of his generation. Internationally renowned, he has enthralled audiences with his mastery of both the ‘ud and violin and his brilliant improvisations. In this program, Simon Shaheen (‘ud, violin) will be joined by Nano Raies (vocal), Najib Shaheen (‘ud), Tareq Rantisi (Arab percussion), Rami Abuolaya (nay - flute), and George Crotty (cello). Their program will feature original and traditional Arab instrumental and vocal music, including the sama`i (instrumental form popular in Arab and Turkish music), the tahmila (traditional Arab dance music form) and irtijal (the art of improvisation); a medley of Palestinian folk songs; Lebanese vocal selections from the 70s; and the traditional muwashshah (complex vocal form based on classical Arabic poems that originated in Andalusia).
Simon Shaheen, born in the village of Tarshiha in the Galilee into a Palestinian family, was steeped in music in early childhood. He has written music and scores for theater and films, including The Sheltering Sky and Malcolm X, and, in 1994, received the prestigious National Heritage fellowship, this nation’s highest honor in the traditional arts. In 1997, he founded the Arabic Music Retreat at Mount Holyoke College, an annual event that brings together the finest educators, performers, and students of Arab music for intensive study and performance. He currently teaches at Berklee College of Music. “virtuosic sophistication” – New York Times “Simon Shaheen may be the greatest musical ambassador from the wide world of Arabic music to the U.S.” – NPR Presented in association with Brooklyn Maqam Tickets: $40 advance*; $45 at door; $35 seniors & students with ID (advance* and at door) (*+$2.50 processing fee per advance ticket)
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