Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble to Perform with Guest Artists May 28
The Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble and guest artists will perform a diverse program of music and dance from the Eastern Mediterranean and larger region at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 28, in the Spanos Theatre on campus.
The concert will feature some of the region’s most celebrated instrumental, vocal and poetic repertoire composed and performed by artists such as Dahmane El-Harrachi and Rachid Taha from Algeria; Mohamed Abdel-Wahab and Sayyid Darwish from Egypt; Fairuz, Philemon Wehbe, and the Rahbani Brothers from Lebanon; and Tatyos Efendi from Ottoman Turkey.
The show will feature several kinds of traditional and contemporary art music, including the “muwashshah,” one of the oldest continuously performed art music genres in the world.
Additional genres to be featured come from the shared music traditions of the Ottoman era, including the short introductory “dulab” and the more elaborate “samai” with its 10-beat metric mode.
The Cal Poly Arab Music Ensemble consists of a multi-instrumental orchestra and choir with vocal and instrumental soloists. The concert also will include “takht” or chamber ensemble performances showcasing the ability of members to work in the advanced setting of a small group.
Critically acclaimed guest artists will include Egyptian violinist Adel Eskander from the Los Angeles area, Assyrian qanun player Ishmael from the Sacramento Valley, and Syrian percussionist Faisal Zedan from the Bay Area.
The program also will feature choreographies by San Luis Obispo dance directors Jenna Mitchell and Saundra Sarrouf.Cal Poly Music Department ethnomusicologist Ken Habib — composer, performer and scholar — will direct the 25-member ensemble, and the program will include one of his instrumental compositions.
Tickets are $14 for the public and $9 for students. Pricing includes all Performing Arts Center fees, and event parking is sponsored by the PAC. Tickets are sold at the Cal Poly Ticket Office between noon and 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. To order by phone, call SLO-4TIX (756-4849). A 10 percent discount is given to patrons who buy season tickets to four Music Department events through the Cal Poly Ticket Office; a 15 percent discount is given on tickets to five or more events.
The concert is sponsored by Cal Poly's College of Liberal Arts, Music Department, and Instructionally Related Activities program. For more information, call the Music Department at 805-756-2406.