Brooklyn Arts Council

Johnny Farraj. Photo: by Kat Starcher

Johnny Farraj has studied riq (Egyptian tambourine) and frame drum with Karim Nagi and Fairuz's percussionist Michel Merhej, both featured in Brooklyn Maqam. He also studied oud with Simon Shaheen and Bassam Saba, and classical Arab singing with Rima Khcheich and Youssef Kassab. As a percussionist, he has performed with Simon Shaheen/Qantrara (Symphony Space) and Amir ElSaffar, and attends the Arabic Music Retreat annually. Farraj recorded on the soundtrack of the play "9 Parts of Desire" by Heather Raffo and has collaborated in several fusion projects involving classical Indian, Persian and Jazz. He performs and lecture/demos in universities and museums throughout the U.S. and Canada. Farraj is also the mastermind and creator of the enormously helpful resource on classical Arab music theory (maqam), maqamworld.com

Related Categories

Folk / Traditional Arts, Music, Instrumentalist, Jazz, Traditional / Culturally Specific, Vocalist