• Naser Musa — oud, voice
• Souren Baronian — duduk, gaval, G clarinet, percussion
• Rowan Storm — frame drums, voice
• Jim Grippo — kanun
• Far'ha — Middle Eastern dance with Sazandeh Women's Ensemble

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.

Hamed Nikpay: all photos by Mak NZ

Reviewed by Omid Arabian

Hamed Nikpay, the Iranian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, brought his unique brand of flamenco-infused Persian music to the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on October 3rd. Mr. Nikpay is blessed with a powerful voice that—though it lacks the velvety richness of Nazeri’s or the theatricality of Namjoo’s—can bring the house down with its sheer force. For most of the evening, however, Mr. Nikpay stopped short of going full-blast, preferring instead to showcase his admittedly impressive control and impeccable musicality.  This made for a show that, though long on beauty and class, was also a bit short on passion—despite the flamenco flavor.

Did You Win?

Qadim
At 4 pm on Feb. 17, 2009 a random drawing of contestants for four pairs of comp tickets to experience "Qadim" on February 19, took place here at Levantine Cultural Center. While many entered, just a few were chosen. And the winners are:

Nora Feddal, Nora Gabbai, Rose Hajian and Jennifer Ruggiero.

The list of contestants includes Kinda Almukaddem, Shahriar Azimi, Judy Branfman, Michael Cabrera, Farnaz Calafi, Nora Feddal, Irene Fertik, Nora  Gabbai, Lana Haddad, Jillian Hajeid, Rose Hajian, Michael Jalalian, Alyse Korn, Anna Malkasian, Jackie Meltz, Cecile Miranda, Reginah F. Perlmutter, James  Phillips, Monica Ramos, Jennifer    Ruggiero, Arghavan Sadeghi, Clyde FT Small, Mojgan Soleimani, Amir Torabzadeh and Nils Vidstrand.

Jon Hassell & Maarifa Street
With Special Guest Dhafer Youssef


In association with dublab.com

Qadim with Naser MusaWhen will there be peace, and how will it be ushered in? A concert by Qadim in Los Angeles on February 19 offers a refreshing respite from the chaos in the world. The concert is one in an ongoing series of events presented by Levantine Cultural Center that addresses Middle Eastern conflict from a perspective of coexistence. Founded in 2001, the center strives to build an alliance of cultures.

A word found in both Arabic and Hebrew, qadim means ancient and "that which will come," suggesting the fraternal bonds that have long existed among Arabs and Jews as two tribes that stem from one common language (Aramaic) and profess the Abrahamic faith.