Yuval Ron Ensemble: with guests Najwa Gibran, Norik Manoukian, Miriam Peretz, Maya Karasso

The Yuval Ron Ensemble will perform mystical music and dance of the Middle East. Celebrating the ancient cultures of the three Abrahamic faiths, this concert features musical director Yuval Ron on oud and Norik Manoukian on duduk and woodwinds, with Palestinian vocalist Najwa Gibran, and folkloric dancers Maya Karasso and Miriam Peretz.

Tickets available at the Middle East Ministry Table on Sundays or call 626.583.2734 and speak to Norma Sigmund.

Listen to music sample.

Reviewed by Jen Reinhardt

He who has faith will never get lost. He who is at peace won't lose his way. —Bab'Aziz.

"Bab'Aziz" poster: your purchase in part benefits Levantine Cultural CenterWatching "Bab'Aziz" reminded me of how much I had become accustomed to Western cinematic conventions such as linear temporality and narrative structure. Akin to the dance of a whirling dervish (i.e. a Sufi Muslim ascetic), this film blends together a kaleidoscope of tales with breathtaking dreamscapes shot by celebrated Iranian photographer and cinematographer Mahmoud Kalari and an original musical score by Israeli composer Armand Amar. (The film costars Golshifteh Farahani.)

Co-written by Tunisian director Nacer Khemir, "Bab'Aziz" (2006) is the third and final installment of his "Desert Trilogy," and loosely follows the story of blind dervish, Bab'Aziz, and his granddaughter, Ishtar, as they embark on an eventful journey through the desert. Much like "A Thousand and One Nights," in which Scheherazade entertains the Prince with her tales and postpones her death by prolonging the ending until the following day, in order to keep Ishtar entertained on their search for the gathering of the Dervish that occurs once every thirty years, Bab'Aziz spins the story of a prince who one fateful day leaves his kingdom and becomes transfixed by his reflection.

Percussionist Rowan StormRowan Storm, master of Middle East percussion and vocalist who has performed with a wide range of world music stars, including Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Naser Musa and Souhail Kaspar, will offer a rare Los Angeles workshop on "Essential Frame Drum Method: an Introductory Survey of Middle Eastern Frame Drums."

This workshop is for new and experienced drummers, but note that no previous experience is necessary.

In this three-hour workshop you will learn:

1. Essential elements for playing Frame Drums of the Middle East and Mediterranean, including:
- Frame Drums with nothing added
- Frame Drums with jingles: tambourine
- Frame Drums with rings: dayereh and daf

2. Key patterns which are common to many kinds of Middle Eastern percussion instruments

3. Efficient technique which empowers you to play tirelessly for many hours

4. Rhythms from the Middle East and Balkans

An engaging talk with slides and live music on the recent Yuval Ron Ensemble tour to Morocco.

Last June The Yuval Ron Ensemble completed its first peace mission tour to a Muslim country—Morocco, bringing to tears both Muslim and Jewish audiences. Hear the story from musical director Yuval Ron who will share slides and music from the musical meetings with the tribal Sufi musicians and dancers of Morocco, and the search for the disappearing Jewish life in Todra, Marakech and Fez.

The Yuval Ron Ensemble became a media sensation at the Sacred Music Festival in Fez, Morocco. CNN, National Geographic, Mundomix.com and French TV Channel 5 all focused their stories about the Fez Festival on the Yuval Ron Ensemble. See the CNN special report.

Reviewed by Catherine BatruniBook Cover

The processes of self-discovery, inner growth, and understanding oneself and the world are only a handful of the numerous intrinsic rewards of traveling. Every so often, something in our hearts stirs us in a kind of epiphany and encourages an abandonment of our monotonous routines. This is exactly what happens to Maliha Masood, author of "Zaatar Days, Henna Nights", when she quits her tech job in Seattle and buys a one-way ticket to the Middle East. She spends approximately a year and a half exploring Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. What some may find unusual is that a Muslim woman-and an American at that-was sufficiently footloose to brave the Middle East alone.

The eclectic Al-Fareed aka Alfred Madain is a deejay, musician and ethnomusicologist in Los Angeles.

Arava Institute for Environmental Studies: located in Israel's southern desert near EilatThe Arava Institute for Environmental Studies is an environmental teaching and research program in the Middle East, preparing future Arab and Jewish leaders to cooperatively solve the region's environmental challenges. Located in the heart of Israel's Arava desert, near the southern town of Eilat, the Arava Institute is a unique oasis of environmental education, research, and international cooperation.

Levantine Cultural Center supported a Los Angeles fundraiser for the Arava Institute in November 2007 called “Comedy Without Borders,” featuring the cast of Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program at USC. The evening featured uncensored standup comedy of five cast members and special guest comedians.

Language for a New Century: your purchase benefits LCC programmingKudos to Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia, and Beyond. This handsome new anthology (Norton 2008) celebrates the artistic and cultural forces flourishing today in the East—gathering an unprecedented selection of works by East Asian, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Central Asian poets as well as poets living in the diaspora. The volume is organized around nine themes—including childhood, politics and oppression, identity, war, homeland and love—and includes more than 400 unique voices from 59 countries. Each section of the anthology—organized by theme rather than national affiliation—is preceded by a personal essay from the editors that introduces the poetry and invokes the readers to examine their own identities in light of these powerful poems.