World Premiere: Aswat (Voices): Celebrating the Golden Age of Arab Music, Simon Shaheen with Aswat Orchestra. Featuring vocalists Ibrahim Azzam, Sonia M'Barek, Khalil Abonula & Rima Khcheich. THURSDAY, MARCH 5, 8:00 PM, Page Auditorium

Simon Shaheen was born in Palestine, studied at conservatories in Jerusalem and New York, and has created work that NPR calls “staggering,” full of “technique and passion.” Now a leading guardian of the Arab music tradition, Shaheen began playing the lute-like ‘oud at age five, soon expanding his skills to the violin and widening his training in both Western and Eastern styles. Shaheen and the Aswat Orchestra are appearing at Duke as part of Duke Performance's "Art/Politics/Now" series.

In this world-premiere performance at Duke, the “eminently cosmopolitan” artist (Washington Post) revisits a golden age in Middle Eastern music, from the 1920s to the 1950s, when many of the region’s greatest musical artists reached unprecedented heights of achievement. An evening-length aesthetic experience, Aswat (Voices) features a 15-piece orchestra playing traditional near-eastern instruments; astonishing vocalists from Palestine, Tunisia, and Lebanon; and projected video of classic Arab films long thought to be lost.

This exclusive performance will be assembled during a week-long residency at Duke, where the piece will have its world-premiere. Aswat will travel directly from Durham to the Kennedy Center, in Washington, D.C. where it will be the centerpiece of Arabesque, a major month-long festival celebrating the arts of the Arab world.

Biography and Career of Simon Shaheen

Shaheen is one of the most significant Arab musicians, performers, and composers of his generation. His work incorporates and reflects a legacy of Arabic music, while it forges ahead to new frontiers, embracing many different styles in the process. This unique contribution to the world of arts was recognized in 1994 when Shaheen was honored with the prestigious National Heritage Award at the White House. Read more about Simon Shaheen.