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Middle East/Mediterranean Calendar forJuly 2004
[To learn about getting events listed, email the Calendar Editor. Send all photos as small jpegs or gifs. All programs free unless otherwise noted.
July 3 (Sat.), 8:00 pm—Najwa Gibran and Gali Atari Concert with Marvin Goldstein
PeaceWithMusic.org presents internationally acclaimed American pianist Marvin Goldstein, award-winning vocalist from Israel, Gali Atari and the gifted Arabic singer from Toronto, Najwa Gibran, who was a major hit at the June 13 Ford concert, "Al-Andalus to Jerusalem."
Gibran is considered to be one the best Arabic singers in the West and is the lead singer for the Yuval Ron Ensemble. Atari is one of the most well known vocalists in Israel and won the Eurovision award in 1979 for the song “Hallelujah.” Goldstein, of course, has performed professionally for over 40 years and has recorded over 30 CDs.
Also performing will be the International Peace Choir, a children's choir that represents various nations and cultures in the world. The famed Armenian Duduk player, Yegish Manoukian will also perform.
The program will feature Arabic and Israeli music in addition to piano solos of show tunes and other popular music. This will be one of the first times that Arabic music has been accompanied by a piano.
The Peace With Music Foundation sponsors the concert. The mission of the Foundation is to bridge the cultural, religious and political differences of people everywhere through the medium of music.
La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd, La Mirada, CA.
Tickets are $40 and $32. Group discounts of 50% are available for groups of 10 or more.
For more information or to order tickets please visit: www.PeaceWithMusic.org or call toll-free 866.648-8637.
July 9 (Fri.), 8:00 pm—Souad Massi and Maria de Barros in "Worldly Women"
Grand Performances presents a free concert featuring "two of the most dynamic female artists currently on the world stage. Maria de Barros steps into the limelight once again, along with Paris-based, Algerian-born Souad Massi, whose passionate French-Arabic lyrics are brilliantly augmented with a unique fusion of Andalusian flamenco, folk-rock, Arabic lutes and other traditional Arab instruments."
At California Plaza, 350 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90071. Info 213.687.2159.
July 11 (Sun.), 7:30 pm—"Two Streams in the Desert" with Alberto Mizrahi and L.A. Jewish Symphony
Klezmer, the clarinet-based music of Eastern Europe, meets the haunting melodies of the Sephardic Jews. Russian virtuoso clarinetist Leo Chelyapov plays a U.S. premiere by David Stern. Alberto Mizrahi, the "Sephardic Pavarotti" since Ladino as well as Yiddish selections. Noreen Green conducts the orchestra.
Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood 90068. Tickets $36, $25, $12 full-time students. Call the Ford Box Office at 323.461.3673. For complete info visit the LAJS web site.
July 13 (Tues.), 7:00 pm—Khaled Hosseini, author of "The Kite Runner" in Conversation with David L. Ulin
Central Public Library, 630 W. 5th St. Reservations or call 213.228.7025.
July 15 (Thurs.), 8:00 pm—Hamza El Din and Joan Jeanrenaud in concert at the Skirball Cultural Center
Egyptian musician Hamza El Din joins forces with Joan Jeanrenaud, former cellist of the famed Kronos Quartet, for a performance fusing the classical and the traditional, the formal and the experimental. Performing on the oud (the Arabian short-necked lute) and the tar (the ancient single-skinned frame drum of the upper Nile), El Din combines the subtleties of Arabic music with the indigenous music of his native Nubia, the upper Nile region now divided between Egypt and the Sudan. Jeanrenaud has been hailed by critics as a virtuoso cellist, whose work with the groundbreaking Kronos Quartet has deeply impacted the performing arts today.
“[A] musician whose rich marriage of Arabic and Nubian sounds has mesmerized international audiences for three decades.”—San Francisco Chronicle, about Hamza El Din
7:00 p.m. Pre-concert lecture by Dr. Ali Jihad Racy, multi-instrumentalist and professor of ethnomusicology at UCLA, on Nubian music.
Presented in conjunction with the exhibition Jewish Life in Ancient Egypt, on view through July 18. Galleries will remain open until 8:00 p.m.
We recommend you arrive early. $25 General, $20 Members, $15 Students. Advance tickets: (310) 440-4500 or www.ticketweb.com . Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles , CA 90049. Take the Mulholland exit from the 405 and follow the signs.
July 17 (Sat.), 2:00 p.m. Gypsy Folk Ensemble Celebrates Greek Olympics
Music at the Granada Hills Library. For families: The Gypsy Folk Ensemble celebrates the Olympics with Greek dancing and music. Granada Hills Branch of LAPL, 10640 Petit Ave. 818.368.5687 .
July 23-24 (Fri-Sat) from 9 a.m.— Conference: "Harem: Perception and Reality of Life in Ottoman and Qajar Courts" with the Levantine author Alev Croutier and other exceptional speakers
Turkish born author Alev Lytle Croutier will discuss "The Harem in the Orientalist's Mind, the way the West viewed the East," while other conference speakers and topics include:
Raisa I. Amirbekyan: A Look at the History of Persian Dance: Qajar Royal Court Dance as Reflected in Visual Arts; Rosina Fawzia Al-Rawi: Polygyny, Harem and Hijab in the Koran, the Sunna and under Islamic Rule; R. Jackson Armstrong-Ingram: The Shah, the Skirt, and the Ballet: A Ménage a Trois, or Just Ill-Founded Gossip?; Manoutchehr M. Eskandari-Qajar: On Harems, Actual and Ideal; Tania Kamal-Eldin: To Veil or not to Veil? Reasons and Reasonings for Seclusion in the Islamic World; Niloufar Kasra: The Harems of Fath Ali Shah and Nasser-ed-Din Shah Qajar; Lydia Susan Khan: Beautiful, but Bunk: The Harem in Art;
Alexandra King: Dancers and Dance (Lecture and Performance); Alaleh M. Mohajerani: Persian Ballet at the Qajar Court (Performance); Guity Nashat: The Institution of Marriage at the Time of Fath Ali Shah and Nasser-ed-Din Shah Qajar; Bahram Osqueezadeh: Qajar Era Court Music -- Performance and Lecture; Sonia Tamar Seeman: Towards a Cultural History of Social Construction: The mediating position of Roma (Gypsy) professional entertainers in 19th century Ottoman Empire in negotiating aristocratic and urban contexts.; Nadine Sultana d'Osman Han: Structure of the Ottoman Harem and Personal Recollections of Life in the Harem of Sultan Abdulhamid II; and M. Reza Tahmasbpour: The Harem through the Lens of Nasser-ed-Din Shah Qajar: A Personal and Pictorial Record .
For complete details visit the Harem conference web site. For speaker bios click here.Santa Barbara City College, 721 Cliff Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93109. 805.965.0581.
July 29 (Thurs.), 8:00 p.m.—Arab-Israeli Orchestra of Nazareth in a tribute to Oum KulthumDon't miss this rare occasion to see the Arab-Israeli Orchestra of Nazareth in a free concert. U.S. debut! Formed in 1990 by Suheil Radwan and featuring violinist Nizar Radwan and singer Lubna Salameh, the Arab-Israeli Orchestra of Nazareth brings together the finest Arab, Jewish, and Muslim musicians from Nazareth and Galilee, playing classical, traditional, and folk Arabic music on acoustic instruments. In this tribute concert, the orchestra performs the repertoire of the late Egyptian diva Oum Kulthum (1904-1975), commemorating the 100th anniversary of her birth. Presented by Gate Productions in the World Culture series and sponsored in part by the Center for Jewish Cultural and Creativity and the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles.
We recommend you arrive early. Reservations/info: 310.440.4500. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles , CA 90049. Take the Mulholland exit from the 405 and follow the signs.
July 31 (Sat.), 8:00 pm—Karsh Kale & Realize and Mercan Dede
Grand Performances presents a free concert. “These extraordinary ensembles pay deep respect to their Indian and Turkish heritage by composing for traditional acoustic instruments and vocal styles while adding elegant electronic samples and beats that take the listener on a journey from the past to the future. Kale and his band will play music from his most recent release, ‘Liberation.’ Mercan Dede’s ensemble exemplifies modern Turkey with electronic samples, the kanun, darbuka, ney and a dervish to make a magical, hypnotic experience.”
At California Plaza, 350 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles 90071. Info 213.687.2159.
August 8 (Sun.) 4:00 pm—Kan Zaman Arab Orchestra at Barnsdall Park
Classical & Folkloric Arabic Music at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Barnsdall Arts Center, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027 (Barnsdall Center is located on Hollywood Blvd. two blocks west of Vermont).
Tickets are on Sale Now, $25, $20 & $15 (VIP tickets are also available). Call 626-432-8235 or 323-957-9069.
Visit the Kan Zaman web site or email for further info.
Special Announcements
Volunteer with Levantine Cultural Center's Programming Committee
Bring your ideas, enthusiasm and support to the Center by participating in a new Programming Committee, that will cooperate with our Board of Directors in creating new arts programs in the weeks and months ahead. To get on the reservation list for the next meeting, email us now!
Board of Directors Seeks Community LeadersLevantine Center's Board of Directors is continually in formation, and welcomes inquiries—we are actively searching for more people with our passion and conviction! The board consists of diverse members of the community who are of Middle Eastern/Mediterranean heritage or who have a strong professional or artistic interest in furthering our mission. As directors, board members represent the organization officially, are responsible for its financial health, and make the priority strategic decisions, with counsel from Advisory Board members where possible. Board members work with activists heading specific committes, including the Film/Video, Literary, Education Performing Arts and Membership Committees.
Our Advisory Board is also in formation. Advisory board members are known professionally in their own communities and offer valuable counsel and services to the organization; they are eligible to attend the organization's annual retreat and receive other benefits.
Please contact us at 323.650.7010.
Submit your calendar listings to our calendar editor now.
To subscribe to our listserve and receive our special updates (which include free ticket giveaways, articles and more), send a message to: info@levantinecenter.org and include Subscribe Me in the subject box. Be sure to give us your first and last name and how you heard about us!To join/support Levantine Cultural Center, simply go to our signup page and fill in the blanks, print and mail; or send your check for $120 annual membership dues (that's just $10 per month! you'll receive many discounts and a pair of free tickets to an upcoming event, a minimum $40 value) to: Levantine Center, 8424A Santa Monica Blvd., N. 789, West Hollywood, CA 90069.
LEVANTINE CULTURAL CENTER
Cultures of the Middle East & Mediterranean
8424A Santa Monica Blvd., N.789, West Hollywood CA 90069
323.650.7010, info@levantinecenter.org
Levantine Center advocates for, educates about, and in general promotes and supports Middle Eastern and Mediterranean contemporary arts and traditional cultures. We present or cosponsor programs of music, literature, art, film/video, publications, new media and more, often from educational and historical perspectives. While acknowledging the value of entertainment, we emphasize scholarship and substance. We are strongly multidisciplinary and non-sectarian, do not embrace any political or religious doctrine, and are committed to the principle of cross-cultural cooperation. We support the strengthening of ties between all cultural, ethnic and religious communities of the Middle East/West Asia/Levant, as well as between all peoples of Middle Eastern descent in diaspora.
See what Levantine Center has been up to and take note of other recent cultural events.
See what Levantine Center was up to during our pre-opening season, late in '01.