Trio performs traditional Arabic music and danceSept. 17, 2010 KALAMAZOO--The Arabesque Trio will present a concert of traditional Arabic music and dance at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 28, in the Dalton Center Recital Hall at Western Michigan University.
The Arabesque Trio is part of Chicago's Arabic Music Ensemble, founded by the Moroccan-born qanun performer Hicham Chami. Voted "Chicago's Best Instrumentalist" in 2002 by Chicago Magazine, Chami is also the founder of several organizations dedicated to preserving the heritage of classical Arabic, Turkish and Armenian music. The Arabesque Trio performs classical music from the Arabic traditions, using Western orchestral instruments to complement eastern instruments such as the ud, qanun, buzuq, nay and riqq. The Arabesque Trio has performed throughout North America, making appearances at the United Nations and Symphony Space, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Harvard University, Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, La Mirada Theatre and Montreal's Place des Arts, among others. The group has enjoyed critical acclaim from the likes of the Los Angeles Times, which hails the Arabesque Trio for its "rich textures and roving counter-melodies" and "considerable musical versatility, alternating lush ensemble playing with bursts of individual improvisation." The Washington Post cites the blending of the vocalists' "amazingly smooth sound with the ensemble's precise rhythms and perfect intonation." The Chicago Reader notes, "This group brings a historical authenticity to the material and plays it with crackling precision." Tickets Arabesque Trio at the Dalton Center is presented by the Bullock Performance Institute. All seating is general admission. Tickets are $12, $10 for senior citizens and $5 for students. They may be purchased at the door or in advance through the Miller Auditorium Ticket Office at (269) 387-2300 or toll free at (800) 228-9858. Full-price tickets are also available online at millerauditorium.com. For more information, visit the Bullock Music Performance Institute online or call the School of Music at (269) 387-4704. Media contact: Matt Jensen, (269) 387-4678, matthew.d20.jensen@wmich.edu WMU News |
