"'Arabesque' was out of this world amazing. We enjoyed it very much and can't wait for the encore." —Laila El-Hajoui
"Great event at the Levantine Cultural Center Saturday night...the music took my soul on a beautiful journey." —Nancy Tedder
The Levantine Cultural Center presents an encore performance of "Arabesque" with Al-Fareed of Radio Al-Fareed, AKA Alfred Madain and a group of musicians, the band calling itself Bedouin X. The band members are David Markowitz, Timothy Maloof and David Martinielli. Special guest artist visiting from Tunisia, Jamel Eddine Boukraa.
Imagine that you had been switched at birth with a baby from another family...and just found out...
The Levantine Cultural Center will present the feature film The Other Son at the Laguna Hills Community Center on Thurs.., May 23, 7:00 pm. The Other Son is an unusually provocative "switched at birth" tale that captures the essence of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. French director Lorraine Levy presides over an excellent international cast (the film is in Arabic, Hebrew, French and English with subtitles) that effectively conveys all the emotion wrought from the pain and joys of family drama. The screening will be followed by a public conversation with filmmaker-educator Mildred Lewis (bio follows below). Light refreshments will be served. This screening is consponsored by Ms. Bana Hilal, Souhail Toubia, MD, the Council on American Islamic Relations of Greater Los Angeles and the Cousins Club of Orange County.
"It's time to be herd"! Toluca Lake Church and Muslims for Progressive Values (MPV) present "Sacred Cow," an interfaith open mic for alrtists of all breeds. See Facebook invite.
Enjoy and share music, comedy, poetry, plate-spinning and then some—expressing the Divine while being respectful of others.
"A Grand Souk Festival" will feature activities for adults and children on Sunday, May 19th at El Rancho Cordillera del Norte in Northridge from 11:30 am until 5:00 pm. This open air bazaar of arts and culture is a culminating celebration of the Big Read Program through the National Endowment for the Arts and the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. This Valley celebration is sponsored by The Museum of the San Fernando Valley, a participant in this year's Big Read Program, along with the Levantine Cultural Center.
On Friday, May 17, progressive comedienne/actor and activist Roseanne Barr presents LevantineMint's pairing "Mideast Masters of Jazz" starring sax maniacs Gilad Atzmon and Zane Musa, performing together LIVE for the first time. It's all happening right here in Los Angeles, backed by some of the best be-bop musicians ever. The bonus is that both Gilad Atzmon and Zane Musa are dyed-in-the-wool originals, so if you love jazz and are curious about how an Israeli and Palestinian get along on stage and off, reserve your tickets for "Mideast Masters of Jazz" at 323.413.2001. Tickets are only $25 general admission, $30 cash at the door. Seating is limited, this show will sell out, don't delay. The performance is one in a new series, "The Middle East Rocks," organized by the Levantine Cultural Center and hosted by venerable L.A. club, The Mint.
Rock, metal, heavy metal, hip hop, jazz and blues are all-American music originals, but they are genres that are constantly being challenged and reinvented by swingers in the Middle East—by composers, singer-songwriters and musicians who are both natively Middle Eastern but strongly western in their tastes and travels.
Egyptian American multimedia artist Olfet Agrama will show her unique collection of handmade boxes, "Out of the Box," at the Ojai Art Center, from May 3-May 30, 2013, with an artist's reception on Sunday, May 12 from 1:00-3:00 pm. The Ojai Art Center is located at 113 S. Montgomery St., Ojai CA 93023. Ph. 805.646.0117.
The work of Olfet Agrama spans four decades depicting people, landscapes and still life in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. Her recent show at the LCC's Inside/Outside Gallery was "Swimming Up the Nile" with 25 works from her paintings on cultures of Africa and North Africa. Visit her web site.
The Levantine Cultural Center presents a rare live performance lecture on the aesthetics of Arabic music.
"Egypt Now" is a public conversation with activist and entrepreneur Jawad Nabulsi, activist/engineer Ahmed Maher, and activist/producer Karim Amer (The Square)
Award-winning historian and journalist William Dalrymple delivers a masterful account of the infamous First Anglo-Afghan War, drawing striking similarities between the West's first disastrous entanglement with Afghanistan and the situation today.
With access to newly discovered primary sources from archives in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia and India—including a series of previously untranslated Afghan epic poems and biographies—the author gives us the most immediate and comprehensive account yet of the spectacular first battle for Afghanistan. Read a Guardian review. LCC members should RSVP with the LCC at 323.413.2001 or rsvp@levantinecenter.org.