A Moroccan Beber from the town of Khenifra in the Middle Atlas Mountains, Boutat began playing the loutar as young boy in middle school. The loutar, a four stringed skin-faced lute, is among the diver... more
Ahlem was born in Tunis, Tunisia and began singing at age 13. She studied at the music conservatory of Tunis and then went on to perform at local parties and weddings, at national and international f... more
Singer, percussionist (dumbek and frame drum) and oud player, Alrodini was born in Bakat Al Hoddeidah on the Red Sea coast of Yemen. Learning music informally from the time he was a small boy, Alrodin... more
Alsarah is a singer, songwriter, and ethnomusicologist. Born in Sudan, she called many places home around the world before settling in Brooklyn, NY. She began studying music at the age of 12, and jo... more
One of few in the world who is an expert in the Iraqi maqam, ElSaffar, trumpeter, composer, singer, and santoor player, is garnering an international reputation for his work, both in the traditional I... more
Arab-Influenced Song Traditions in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Brooklyn Presented by BAC Folk Arts, Brooklyn Maqam Arab Music Festival is a rare opportunity to experience the remarkable variety ... more
Answering the Call to Prayer: Arab Song Traditions in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic Brooklyn
Sunday, March 30 Brooklyn Public Library/Grand Army Plaza, Stevan A. Dweck Center 1:30-3:30pm
Arab-o-rama: New York Bellydance Music and Dance Review
Presented by BAC Folk Arts, Brooklyn Maqam Arab Music Festival is a rare opportunity to experience the remarkable variety of Arab music traditions that flourish throughout the metro area! WHERE: Fr... more
Arab-o-rama: New York Bellydance Music and Dance Review
Friday, March 14 Lafayette Grill and Bar (Manhattan) 7:30-10:30pm
Touma grew up singing traditional Lebanese songs at parties, festivals and with his school choir in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli. As a teenager, Touma enrolled in Tripoli’s music conservator... more
Performance with Hassan Hakmoun and Mohammed Bechar ... more
Check out the upcoming Cultural Walking Tours in May Check out the Maqam Events Archive Learn about Maqam Artists Learn about Brooklyn's Arab Music and Culture ... more
Brooklyn Maqam Begins: Dance and Music from the Arab World
Presented by BAC Folk Arts, Brooklyn Maqam Arab Music Festival is a rare opportunity to experience the remarkable variety of Arab music traditions that flourish throughout the metro area! WHEN: Su... more
Brooklyn’s Maqam: Reinventing Arab Music in the Borough
Presented by BAC Folk Arts, Brooklyn Maqam Arab Music Festival is a rare opportunity to experience the remarkable variety of Arab music traditions that flourish throughout the metro area! WHEN: Fri... more
Brooklyn’s Maqam: Reinventing Arab Music in the Borough
Friday, March 7 BAM Cafe at the Brooklyn Academy of Music 9:00-10:30pm
Yehezkel Zion, born in Jerusalem, is of Iraqi descent and comes from a very musically talented Baghdad family. His father was a singer and drummer and his siblings, all living in Israel, practice musi... more
Born in Lebanon, Fakhoury studied classical guitar at the Conservatoire of Lebanon. He later picked up electric guitar, inspired by Omar Khoshid, famous for integrating electric guitar into the stand... more
CASYM Steel Pan Orchestra performs the rhythms and sounds of the steel drum that are an integral part of the rich cultural heritage of the Caribbean Islands of Trinidad and Tobago. CASYM has performed... more
Presented by BAC Folk Arts, Brooklyn Maqam Arab Music Festival is a rare opportunity to experience the remarkable variety of Arab music traditions that flourish throughout the metro area! WHEN: Fri... more
Friday, March 28 Tarboosh Cafe 9:00pm-Midnight
Dena El Saffar, of Iraqi and American heritage, was exposed to Arabic music in the suburbs of Chicago, where she grew up attending Iraqi gatherings with her family. She began learning the violin at th... more
From Athens, Greece, Mikelis is both an ‘ud and piano performer. He holds a B.M from Berklee College of Music in jazz studies (2003), a Masters in Jazz Performance from the William Paterson Universit... more
Diverse Traditions: Arab Folk Music in Regional Expression
Presented by BAC Folk Arts, Brooklyn Maqam Arab Music Festival is a rare opportunity to experience the remarkable variety of Arab music traditions that flourish throughout the metro area! WHEN: Sat... more
Diverse Traditions: Arab Folk Music in Regional Expression
Saturday, March 29 Alwan for the Arts 9:00 -11:00pm
Eddie Soubhi Ibn Farjallah Kochakhi was born and raised in Brooklyn, in a Syrian Catholic family on Atlantic Avenue. His sister brought him his first dumbek from Aleppo when he was ten. He came to be... more
El Mostafa comes from the Atlantic port city of El Jadida, Morocco. He bought his first instrument, a Moroccan wooden flute called gasbah, as a boy. He was drawn to its sad, yet sweet sound quality, a... more
Friday, March 7 Brooklyn's Maqam: Reinventing Arab Music in the Borough BAM Cafe at the Brooklyn Academy of Music Featuring Fahim Dandan, the renowned popular singer whose presence at Brooklyn Ara... more
Brooklyn-based Palestinian vocalist Fahim Dandan grew up with exposure to the folk music traditions of Haifa and nearby villages. Dandan’s mother was respected for her musical ability and noted for h... more
Gaida Hinnawi is a vocalist and composer working at the intersection of the New York Arab and improvised music scenes. Her compositions draw on classical Arabic song, Syrian folk traditions, and impro... more