Concert: Saber Al Riba'e
Saber Al Riba'e is a distinguished singer
who started his career in 1984 in an amateurs club in Tunisia. He won his
first award when he was 15. Saber pursued an education in arts and music
and is currently working on his postgraduate thesis. He is one of the most
promising young singers in the Arab world performing a wide range of Arabic
musical styles appealing to youth and adults alike. Beit Sahour, Thursday
01 July 20:15, Lutheran School.
Concert: Turkish Erkoseler Ensemble
The group consists of 5 musicians: clarinet,
cello, qanun, oud and darbuka. Barbaros Erkose, the key musician and the
founder of the group, is a clarinet player of international caliber who
plays with the TRIO Anwar Brahem. The group has been performing all around
the world. Their musical style can best be described as a mix of original
Turkish music and ethnic music of the Balkans with improvisations to bring
out a sound unique to the group. Birzeit, Thursday 01 July, Birzeit University
Old Campus
Beit Sahour, Friday 02 July 22:00, Lutheran
School.
Jerusalem, Thursday 08 July 20:30, Tombs of
the Kings.
Dance Performance: Circassian Folk Dance group
Established in 1944, Al Ahli club in Jordan
soon after (in 1949) established its folk troupe which presents the traditional
Circassian folklore, teaching it to the young, and performing it in Jordan
and abroad. The real appeal of Circassian folklore is its splendor. Pride
and valor countered by femininity and composure spring from two opposite
sources and unite in an epitome of artistic expression where each enacts
his/her ancestral role.
Birzeit, Thursday 01 July 20:30, Birzeit University
Old Campus
Beit Sahour, Saturday 03 July 21:40, Lutheran
School
Concert: STOMP
STOMP is a unique combination of percussion,
movement, and visual comedy. It was created in Brighton, UK, in the summer
of 1991 as a result of a ten-year collaboration between its creators, Luke
Cresswell and Steve McNicholas. "They present pop art for the ears, rhythm
for the eyes, theatre for the feet. It is big, noisy, and irresistible."
Birzeit, Friday 02 July 20:30, Birzeit University
Old Campus
Concert: Ali Abdul Sattar
Ali Abdul Sattar started his career as an
artist in the year 1973 through his participation in the Arab Gulf Cup
Music Competition in Ad Dawha. He acquired his MA in Education from Buffalo
university in New York in 1982. He was awarded two prizes for the best
song and the best pin the Arab Song Festival in Abu Dhabi. Abdul Sattar
is one of the few singers of his generation who still retain a following
amongst youth in the Arab world.
Birzeit, Saturday 03 July and Sunday 04 July
20:30, Birzeit University Old Campus.
Beit Sahour, Tuesday 06 July 20:10, Lutheran
School.
Dance Performance: El Funoon Ash Shaabiyeh Popular Dance
Troupe
El Funoon was established in 1979 by a small
group of committed artists. Today, El Funoon is acknowledged as the leading
Palestinian dance troupe both inside Palestine and in the Diaspora communities.
El Funoon has achieved popular recognition and quite a few of the troupe's
songs are now household tunes. The troupe combines traditional dance with
a contemporary outlook both in the choreography and theme of their productions,
in an attempt to keep a link with the past while carefully forging a future
for Palestinian dance. They celebrate their twentieth anniversary at this
year's Palestine International Festival.
Birzeit, Monday 05 July 20:30, Birzeit University
Old Campus.
Concert: Suleyman Erguner
Suleyman Erguner is considered the best Ney
composer and player in the world. He was born to a Turkish family with
a strong musical tradition. In addition to being a soloist, Erguner participated
in many "Darawish" events in Turkey and abroad. He has developed a unique
style in performing and composing Turkish classical music.
Jerusalem, Friday 09 July 18:30, Lutheran
Church.
Concert: Simon Shaheen and Alcantra
Simon is a Palestinian Oud and violin player
with a full record of Arabic traditional and modern music compositions
in addition to music for plays and cinema. Alcantra group consists of Glen
Velez who is master of percussions, Steve Gorn who is one of the few western
musicians who masters Indian music, Francois Mottan, a famous Jazz Bass
musician, and Arthorro Martinez, who plays the flamenco guitar. Their performance
will offer an international mosaic of musical traditions and compositions.
Jerusalem, (with Glen Velez) Wednesday 14 July 18:30, Lutheran Church and
Thursday 15 July 20:30, Tombs of the Kings.
Concert: Samir Jubran and the Oriental Ensemble
Samir Jubran, Oud Player, was born in Nazareth
and graduated from the Abdul Wahhab center for Oriental Music in Cairo.
He plays a soloist in international venues and as conductor of musical
ensembles. His quartet consists of Bashir al Assadi, violin, Aziz Naddaf,
percussions, and Munir Bisharat, violin. Jerusalem, Friday 10 July 20:30,
Tombs of the Kings.
Concert: Awj "The National Music Conservatory group"
A new initiative on the part of the National
Music Conservatory, this group was recently established to present classical
Arabic songs, muwashahat and Adwar. Khaled Jubran, director of the oriental
music department at the National Music Conservatory, leads the group. Jerusalem,
Monday 12 July 20:30, Tombs of the Kings.
Concert: The Oriental Music Ensemble
A two-year old group, the oriental music ensemble
has had many performances locally and abroad. The group performs classical
Arabic music with a contemporary vision and interpretation. It consists
of six professional musicians of the National Music Conservatory: Suheil
Khoury (Ney and Clarinet), Khaled Jubran (Oud and Buzuki), Ibrahim Attari
(Qanoun), Samer Totah (Oud), Youssef Hbeish and Youssef Zayed (percussions).
Jerusalem, Saturday 10 July 20:30, Tombs of the Kings.
Concert: Khaled Jubran and Nizar Rohana
Khaled Jubran, from Rama in the Galilee and
director of the oriental music department in the National Music Conservatory,
and Nizar Rohana, a young Oud player from Issifya, will both play together
a Oud dialogue between two prominent musicians. They are accompanied by
percussionist Youssef Zayed. Their performance will feature classical pieces
and familiar musical improvisations entrusted with their own musical vision
and style. Jerusalem, Wednesday 07 July 18:30, Lutheran Church.
Concert: Issa Boulos Quartet
Issa Boulos, Oud player and composer, is currently
preparing for his MA degree in musical composition in the US. The Issa
Boulos quartet was established in 1998 and includes guitar player Jennifer
Trubridge, Clarinet player Donal Yaacoub, and percussionist Najeeb Bahri.
Their original compositions and improvisations are based on the Arab tradition
of community meetings around the fire at night where discussions of love,
death, beauty, and freedom are reflected in words and music and silence.
Jerusalem, Wednesday 14 July 20:30, Tombs of the Kings.
Concert: Hayat al Idrissi
From Morocco, al Idrissi has decided, at an
early age, to remain loyal to Um Kulthoum, the most prominent Arab singer
of the century. She performs songs by Um Kulthoum in addition to traditional
Moroccan tunes. She is accompanied by 13 musicians. Jerusalem, Tuesday
06 July 20:30, Tombs of the Kings.
Concert: Takht Attourate (Oriental ensemble and singing)
This group comes from France, but consists
of musicians and singers from Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt. The group was
established in 1995 with the express aim of studying, developing, and preserving
Arab music especially from the 19th century known as the age
of the renaissance. Members of the group are also solo performers and they
are: Abdul Rahman Kazool (vocals), Fatima Shari'e (vocals), Hatem Badawi
(percussions), Imad ed Din Bin Ammar (Qanoun), Edward Iskandar (Ney), Sufian
Naqra (Oud), and Kamel Liwati. Jerusalem, Tuesday 13 July 20:30, Tombs
of the Kings.
Concert: Ahmad Matar
One of the most famous Qanoun players in the
world, Matar was born in Izmir, Turkey, in 1958 and started playing music
when he was a child. He joined the Radio Turkey music group at the age
of 18, and is well known in Turkey for his exceptional talents. Jerusalem,
Monday 12 July 18:30, Lutheran Church.
Concert: Ahmad Al Khateeb
Al Khateeb was born in Irbid, Jordan, and
started studying the Oud at an early age. He took part in many musical
events as a solo player and as part of the oriental music group of the
Yarmouk University. He currently teaches Oud and Cello at the National
Music Conservatory in Palestine. He is accompanied by Ibrahim Attari (Qanoun)
and Youssef Zayed (percussions). Jerusalem, Thursday 08 July 18:30, Lutheran
Church.
Photo Exhibition: 33 years of Occupation and Apartheid
Mia Grondahl is a swedish journalist and photographer
who has been covering the Middle East for years, working for the press,
radio, and TV. When the "Peace agreement' was signed in 1993, she made
frequent visits to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, deepening her understanding
of Palestine, the people, and their land. As a result, she is now based
in East Jerusalem since 1996. The photo exhibition is being shown throughout
Sweden and Palestine. The exhibition is touring major Palestinian cities
under the auspices of the Consulate General of Sweden in East Jerusalem.
Modern Dance Performance: Nacera Belaza
The three women dancers (from France and Algiers)
working with Algerian dancer Nacera Belaza will dance to the music of a
Palestinian classic song "Unadikum": I call upon you. The poem was written
by prominent Palestinian poet, Tawfiq Zayyad of Nazareth. This piece, which
is based on the revolutionary re-constructed music (by Arab composer Abed
Azrie,) is impressive and breathtaking. It captures the essence of the
human struggle inspired by the Palestinian experience. Palestine International
Festival, Kamal Nassir Hall, Birzeit University, Thursday 01 July 17:30.
Debate with an Artist: Ellen Stewart on Theatre
Ellen Stewart will talk about her artistic
experience in the field of theatre. Stewart is the founder and the artistic
director of the well known American theatre, La MaMa, based in New York.
La Mama's main vision is nurturing and encouraging the creative endeavours
of new generations of artists, as it was when it first opened its doors
37 years ago. La MaMa works have been horored with over fifty OBIE Awards,
dozens of Drama Desk Awards, Bessie Awards and Villager Awards. Ramallah,
Thursday 08 July 18:00, Khalil Sakakini Center.