Sunday, March 2 
Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts at Brooklyn College (BCBC)

Dance and music from the Arab world: Simon Shaheen, world renowned, Brooklyn-based violinist and oudist. Folk Feet Arab Traditional Dance Showcase: Egyptian zeffa, saidi and tannoura...

Tuesday, March 4
Brooklyn Arts Council 

Tareq Abboushi, buzuq specialist and teacher, lead a workshop on Arab music basics. If you're new to the music, this was the way to get an 'ear up.'...

Wednesday, March 5
Najeeb's Place 

The 'Oudman' Najeeb Shaheen with his special guest Dimitri Mikelis improvised on and explained the revered stringed instrument of Arab music, the oud. The audience sipped an Arabic coffee with cardamom (qahawa arbiyya) while listening...

Thursday, March 6 
Safe-T-Gallery 

Karim Nagi, percussionist and widely regarded workshop teacher, lead a session on Arab music basics including how a listening audience responds. Followed by: Jam in 3-D: Dumbek, Darbukah, Derbekki...

Friday, March 7 
BAM Cafe at the Brooklyn Academy of Music 

Featuring Fahim Dandan, the renowned singer whose presence at Arab weddings in Brooklyn and across the country is virtually required! And the experimental jazzy-Middle Eastern sound of Shusmo, led by Brooklyn's multi-talented Tareq Abboushi...

Sunday, March 9 
Brooklyn Historical Society 

A panel of music scholars and local community representatives discussed the history and relevance of Brooklyn's evolving Arab music traditions. Panelists: Dr. Anne Rasmussen, ethnomusicologist, Samuel R. Thomas, ethnomusicologist...

Saturday, March 15
Sultana

Party down to Moroccan and Tunisian popular musical traditions, such as sha'abi and rai with Mostafa El Jdidi, Salah Rhani, Noureddine, Jowad Bohsina, Reeyad El Tunsi, and others. The evening concluded with the Moroccan Sephardic...

Sunday, March 16 
Kingsborough Community College, Leon M. Goldstein Performing Arts Center 

Malika Zarra, Shoshana Tubi, and Gaida Hinnawi, with their ensembles, sang Arab classics and folk genres of the Levant, Egypt, Morocco, and Yemen, along with innovative original compositions...

Wednesday, March 19 
Layaly 

A night with some of the Metro area's most in-demand vocalists: Al Sarah soloing Sudanese Arabic music, Rana Beyrouti, specializing in popular Lebanese djbeli song; and Ahlem, covering the best in classics and pop...

Thursday, March 20 
Joe's Pub 

Zikrayat, led by Sami Abu Shumays, played a classical repertoire from the Golden Age of Egyptian cinema, and Safaafir, led by Amir ElSaffar, revived the classical urban vocal tradition of Iraqi maqam...

Thursday, March 27 
Barbes 

An evening of classic repertoire and improvisations with Brooklyn's Palestinian oudists of distinction: Zafer Tawil and Georges Ziadeh...

Friday, March 28 
Tarboosh Cafe 

Our hafla (party) started out Lebanese style, featuring singers Basil Touma and Rana Beyruti performing traditional Levantine songs, mawwal, jabali and debkah. Dance with local Bay Ridge debkah group and taste Tarboosh's shisha flavors...

Saturday, March 29 
Alwan for the Arts 

This evening featured Ahmed Alrodini, accompanied by Isaac Gutwilik, (Yemeni, Red Sea coast); Naji Youssef (Lebanese, djbeli); and Abdel Rahim with Brahim Fribgane (Moroccan, Berber)...

Sunday, March 30 
Brooklyn Public Library/Grand Army Plaza, Stevan A. Dweck Center 

Artists included the choir of the Catholic Melkite Byzantine Church of the Virgin Mary, led by Barbara Giancola; the ensemble, Tarab, specializing in Sufi repertoire; and Yehezkel Zion, rabbi, cantor, and singer of pizmonim...more