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Robert and Helene Browning celebrate 47 years of presenting world music & dance. "Their work set into motion nothing less than a seismic shift in the cultural terrain of New York City and beyond. " - The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage |
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2024/25 SEASON Preview
At Symphony Space:
Sat Nov 2 Fareed Ayaz & Abu Mohammad Qawwals - Sufi Songs of Pakistan
Presented in collaboration with Hamad S. Haider
At Roulette:
Sat Nov 23 Ali Akbar Moradi & Pejman Hadadi - Sacred Music of Kurdistan
Fri Mar 7 Antonio “El Turry” - Flamenco Festival
Sat Mar 15 Nibal Malshi - Songs of the Arab World
Fri Mar 28 Guillermina Quiroga - Tango Argentina
Fri Apr 4 Ustad Shahid Parvez & Shakir Khan - Indian Masters
Fri Apr 11 Hamza Akram Qawwal - Sufi Songs of Pakistan
Fri Apr 25 Oghlan Bakhshi & Zyyada Jumayeva - Turkmen Music from the Steppes of Iran and Central Asia
Sat Apr 26 Simon Shaheen – Music of the Arab World
Concerts at Roulette are co-presented with Lotus Music & Dance and Roulette.
Photo credits: Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad Qawwals: ©Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos; Nibal Malshi: Kory Williams; Guillermina Quiroga: Brandon Kwae; Simon Shaheen: ©Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos
Programs subject to change
Sat Nov 2 Fareed Ayaz & Abu Mohammad Qawwals - Sufi Songs of Pakistan
Presented in collaboration with Hamad S. Haider
At Roulette:
Sat Nov 23 Ali Akbar Moradi & Pejman Hadadi - Sacred Music of Kurdistan
Fri Mar 7 Antonio “El Turry” - Flamenco Festival
Sat Mar 15 Nibal Malshi - Songs of the Arab World
Fri Mar 28 Guillermina Quiroga - Tango Argentina
Fri Apr 4 Ustad Shahid Parvez & Shakir Khan - Indian Masters
Fri Apr 11 Hamza Akram Qawwal - Sufi Songs of Pakistan
Fri Apr 25 Oghlan Bakhshi & Zyyada Jumayeva - Turkmen Music from the Steppes of Iran and Central Asia
Sat Apr 26 Simon Shaheen – Music of the Arab World
Concerts at Roulette are co-presented with Lotus Music & Dance and Roulette.
Photo credits: Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad Qawwals: ©Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos; Nibal Malshi: Kory Williams; Guillermina Quiroga: Brandon Kwae; Simon Shaheen: ©Jack Vartoogian/FrontRowPhotos
Programs subject to change
2023/24 CONCERT VIDEOS
SPRING 2024
All our Winter/Spring 2024 concerts are now viewable on Youtube:
Hamza Akram Qawwal and Brothers Sufi Chants
Antonia Jimenez Inma La Carbonera A Gaya - Flamenco Festival 2024
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba – Blues from Mali – return performance -by popular demand!
Ara Dinkjian, Arsen Petrosyan and String Quartet: Music of Armenia
Firas Zreik & Ensemble: New Journeys in Arabic Music
Shahid Parvez Indian Masters
Alam Khan - Indian Masters
Hamza Akram Qawwal and Brothers Sufi Chants
Antonia Jimenez Inma La Carbonera A Gaya - Flamenco Festival 2024
Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba – Blues from Mali – return performance -by popular demand!
Ara Dinkjian, Arsen Petrosyan and String Quartet: Music of Armenia
Firas Zreik & Ensemble: New Journeys in Arabic Music
Shahid Parvez Indian Masters
Alam Khan - Indian Masters
SPRING 2023
Five of the spring concerts are now viewable on Youtube:
Nibal Malshi
Rafael Riqueni
gamin
Bassekou Kouyate
Sahba Motallebi
Nibal Malshi
Rafael Riqueni
gamin
Bassekou Kouyate
Sahba Motallebi
IN MEMORIAM
© JackVartoogian/FrontRowPhotos
Toumani Diabate
August 10, 1965 - July 19, 2024
Malian musician Toumani Diabate was one of Africa's greatest masters of the kora (21-stringed harp-lute) and a key figure in African music. He was instrumental in developing the kora, which was traditionally used as an accompaniment to song, into a solo concert instrument. From a long line of griots (oral historians and praise singers), he was a self-taught musician who began playing at the age of five and made his debut at 13. In 1988, he recorded Kaira, the first solo kora album. Acclaimed for his innovative interpretations of traditional music and groundbreaking improvisations, he was noted for his solo performances, as well as for his work with a wide array of artists, including Kandia Kouyate, Ballake Sissoko, Taj Mahal, Ali Farka Toure, Salif Keita, Roswell Rudd, Bela Fleck, Kayhan Kalhor, the London Symphony Orchestra, the flamenco group Ketama, and his own Symmetric Orchestra.
We presented him several times under the auspices of World Music Institute, where he gave deeply meditative and hypnotic performances. He opened for the legendary 'ud master Hamza El Din in 1989 and 1990, and, in 2008, he presented The Mande Variations, his masterpiece for solo kora.
New York Times obituary by Giovanni Russonello
The Guardian obituary by Robin Denselow
August 10, 1965 - July 19, 2024
Malian musician Toumani Diabate was one of Africa's greatest masters of the kora (21-stringed harp-lute) and a key figure in African music. He was instrumental in developing the kora, which was traditionally used as an accompaniment to song, into a solo concert instrument. From a long line of griots (oral historians and praise singers), he was a self-taught musician who began playing at the age of five and made his debut at 13. In 1988, he recorded Kaira, the first solo kora album. Acclaimed for his innovative interpretations of traditional music and groundbreaking improvisations, he was noted for his solo performances, as well as for his work with a wide array of artists, including Kandia Kouyate, Ballake Sissoko, Taj Mahal, Ali Farka Toure, Salif Keita, Roswell Rudd, Bela Fleck, Kayhan Kalhor, the London Symphony Orchestra, the flamenco group Ketama, and his own Symmetric Orchestra.
We presented him several times under the auspices of World Music Institute, where he gave deeply meditative and hypnotic performances. He opened for the legendary 'ud master Hamza El Din in 1989 and 1990, and, in 2008, he presented The Mande Variations, his masterpiece for solo kora.
New York Times obituary by Giovanni Russonello
The Guardian obituary by Robin Denselow
© JackVartoogian/FrontRowPhotos
Phil Wiggins
May 8, 1954 - May 7, 2024
A master of the blues harmonica, Phil Wiggins was one of the leading exponents of the Piedmont or country blues. He is best known for his 32-year partnership with guitarist/singer John Cephas, a duo that was likened to that of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in their heyday. Cephas & Wiggins toured the world; performed at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House; recorded 12 albums; won 11 W.C. Handy Awards; and appeared at the White House with B.B. King. In 2017, Wiggins received the National Heritage Fellowship, this nation's highest honor in the traditional arts, and became the third harmonica player (along with Sonny Terry and Elder Roma Wilson) to receive this prestigious award.
From 1983 to 2008, we presented him a total of 11 times under the auspices of the Alternative Museum and World Music Institute. He was one of our most popular performers, developing a strong following for his harmonica wizardry.
New York Times obituary by Clay Risen
May 8, 1954 - May 7, 2024
A master of the blues harmonica, Phil Wiggins was one of the leading exponents of the Piedmont or country blues. He is best known for his 32-year partnership with guitarist/singer John Cephas, a duo that was likened to that of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee in their heyday. Cephas & Wiggins toured the world; performed at Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall and the Sydney Opera House; recorded 12 albums; won 11 W.C. Handy Awards; and appeared at the White House with B.B. King. In 2017, Wiggins received the National Heritage Fellowship, this nation's highest honor in the traditional arts, and became the third harmonica player (along with Sonny Terry and Elder Roma Wilson) to receive this prestigious award.
From 1983 to 2008, we presented him a total of 11 times under the auspices of the Alternative Museum and World Music Institute. He was one of our most popular performers, developing a strong following for his harmonica wizardry.
New York Times obituary by Clay Risen
Richard Horowitz
January 6, 1949 – April 13, 2024
Inspired by the traditional music of Morocco, Richard Horowitz was a musician and composer known for his mastery of the ney (reed flute) and his innovative works of cross-cultural music. He wrote music for various films, including Bernardo Bertolucci's The Sheltering Sky; in 1991, he shared the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score with Ryuichi Sakamoto for the soundtrack of this film based on the novel by Paul Bowles. He had a long and remarkable collaboration with the Iranian-born vocalist and composer Sussan Deyhim which encompassed the music of the Middle East, jazz and the avant garde. He worked with a wide array of artists, including Jon Hassell, Brian Eno, David Byrne and Anthony Braxton, and, in 1998, co-founded the Gnawa Festival in Essaouira, Morocco.
Between 1979 and 1994, we presented him four times under the auspices of the Alternative Center for International Arts and World Music Institute. His memorable performances included two with Steve Gorn (bansuri flute) and Ralph Samuelson (shakuhachi flute); one of these was recorded live on WNYC. A gentle soul, Richard will be truly missed.
“Honoring this wonderful man and visionary musician. Truly a ‘world music’ inspiration to me and many others. ----Steve Gorn
“a traveler and world citizen who believed in our shared humanity.” - Tamara Melnik on Sussan Deyhim’s Instagram post
Pitchfork obituary by Jazz Monroe
January 6, 1949 – April 13, 2024
Inspired by the traditional music of Morocco, Richard Horowitz was a musician and composer known for his mastery of the ney (reed flute) and his innovative works of cross-cultural music. He wrote music for various films, including Bernardo Bertolucci's The Sheltering Sky; in 1991, he shared the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score with Ryuichi Sakamoto for the soundtrack of this film based on the novel by Paul Bowles. He had a long and remarkable collaboration with the Iranian-born vocalist and composer Sussan Deyhim which encompassed the music of the Middle East, jazz and the avant garde. He worked with a wide array of artists, including Jon Hassell, Brian Eno, David Byrne and Anthony Braxton, and, in 1998, co-founded the Gnawa Festival in Essaouira, Morocco.
Between 1979 and 1994, we presented him four times under the auspices of the Alternative Center for International Arts and World Music Institute. His memorable performances included two with Steve Gorn (bansuri flute) and Ralph Samuelson (shakuhachi flute); one of these was recorded live on WNYC. A gentle soul, Richard will be truly missed.
“Honoring this wonderful man and visionary musician. Truly a ‘world music’ inspiration to me and many others. ----Steve Gorn
“a traveler and world citizen who believed in our shared humanity.” - Tamara Melnik on Sussan Deyhim’s Instagram post
Pitchfork obituary by Jazz Monroe
Photo credit: John Wilton
Brahim Fribgane
April 9, 1965 - February 21, 2024
Brahim Fribgane, born and raised in Morocco, brought to his music the rich and varied musical styles he grew up with – North African, Gnawa, Berber, Arabic and Andalusian music. Known for his virtuosic skills on oud and various percussion instruments, he performed with many renowned artists, including Hassan Hakmoun, Peter Gabriel, Adam Rudolph, Club d’Elf, Steve Gorn, Tinariwen, Giovanni Hidalgo, Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow, Zakir Hussain, and Selva Ganesh. In his early 20s, he came to New York City where he developed his distinctive style, blending influences from his childhood and international traditions.
Brahim was a gentle soul with an infectious smile who graced our concerts on many occasions, particularly with Hassan Hakmoun. He will be sorely missed.
“Anywhere he went he shared his talents and his gift with other musicians. All over the world there is nobody like Brahim Fribgane.
He will always be with me." - Hassan Hakmoun
“one of the most soulful musicians who ever walked the planet”- Club d’Elf
“Brahim was a beloved brother who warmed the lives of his family, friends, musicians, and audiences around the world “ – Adam Rudolph
April 9, 1965 - February 21, 2024
Brahim Fribgane, born and raised in Morocco, brought to his music the rich and varied musical styles he grew up with – North African, Gnawa, Berber, Arabic and Andalusian music. Known for his virtuosic skills on oud and various percussion instruments, he performed with many renowned artists, including Hassan Hakmoun, Peter Gabriel, Adam Rudolph, Club d’Elf, Steve Gorn, Tinariwen, Giovanni Hidalgo, Pete Seeger, Peter Yarrow, Zakir Hussain, and Selva Ganesh. In his early 20s, he came to New York City where he developed his distinctive style, blending influences from his childhood and international traditions.
Brahim was a gentle soul with an infectious smile who graced our concerts on many occasions, particularly with Hassan Hakmoun. He will be sorely missed.
“Anywhere he went he shared his talents and his gift with other musicians. All over the world there is nobody like Brahim Fribgane.
He will always be with me." - Hassan Hakmoun
“one of the most soulful musicians who ever walked the planet”- Club d’Elf
“Brahim was a beloved brother who warmed the lives of his family, friends, musicians, and audiences around the world “ – Adam Rudolph