Simon Shaheen

born in 1955 in Ma'alot-Tarshiha, North District, Israel

Simon Shaheen

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Simon Shaheen (Arabic: ; b. Tarshiha, Upper Galilee, Israel, 1955) is a Palestinian-American oud and violin virtuoso and composer.[1][2][3]

At the age of 2, Shaheen moved with his family to Haifa, but spent most of the weekends in Tarshiha, an Arab village in Israel. The Shaheen family is known for its musicality with music instructor and father Hikmat, oud-playing and instrument-making brother Najib, violinist and oud playing William, and singing sisters Laura and Rosette.[4][5][6]

Music career

He began playing the oud at 5, and the violin shortly thereafter.[7] He attended Tel Aviv University, earning degrees in Arabic literature and music performance.[8] He later pursued further studies at Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1980 he emigrated to the United States to study music at the Manhattan School of Music and Columbia University, eventually becoming a U.S. citizen.[9][10]

He formed the Near Eastern Music Ensemble, which performs classical Arabic music, and organized annual Arabic music retreats and arts festivals.[9][11]

Shaheen, a Catholic Arab, lives in New York City, where he leads an Arabic ensemble called Qantara which he formed.[12] Qantara melds jazz, pop, and western classical music with Arabic elements.[1][13][14][15]

In 1994 he received a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.[16][10]

In addition to his work in traditional and classical Arabic music, Shaheen has participated in many cross-cultural musical projects, including performing with producer Bill Laswell, Colombian singer Soraya, Henry Threadgill, Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, and with Jewish klezmer musicians The Klezmatics.[17][18][19][20][21]

Select discography

  • 1990 Music of Waheeb, Mango/Island/PolyGram
  • 1990 The Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Axiom/Island/PolyGram
  • 1992 Turath (Heritage), CMP
  • 1993 Taqasim: Art of Improvisation in Arabic Music
  • 1996 Saltanah (with V. M. Bhatt), Water Lily Acoustics
  • 2001 Blue Flame, Ark 21/Universal

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 SIMON SHAHEEN & QANTARA "Blue ... The Washington Post | HighBeam Research FREE trial. Highbeam.com (June 22, 2001). Retrieved on February 3, 2011.
  2. Mitter, Siddhartha, Simon Shaheen is an ambassador for traditional Arabic music The Boston Globe, Boston.com, October 10, 2008. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  3. Koehler, Robert, Humble Means, Rich Sounds * Masters from far-flung origins will play their simple instruments in North Hollywood. Los Angeles Festival: "HOME, PLACE and MEMORY", A Citywide Arts Fest, Pqasb.pqarchiver.com, September 10, 1993. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  4. Rule, Sheila, Ancient Oud Gets A Hearing In Brooklyn, Pqasb.pqarchiver.com, November 7, 1994. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  5. (November 16, 2009) Playing across a Divide: Israeli-Palestinian Musical Encounters: Israeli-Palestinian Musical Encounters, Oxford University Press. URL accessed August 4, 2013.
  6. Nina Roberts, He Plays Arab Music, Makes and Fixes Ouds, Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2009. URL accessed on February 14, 2011.
  7. Simon Shaheen & Qantara "Blue, Pqasb.pqarchiver.com, June 22, 2001. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  8. Rule, Sheila, A Man and His Oud. How's That Again? New York Times, Nytimes.com, October 29, 1994. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  9. 9.0 9.1 (2001) All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music, Backbeat Books/All Media Guide. URL accessed August 4, 2013.
  10. 10.0 10.1 (2002) A Community of Many Worlds: Arab Americans in New York City, Syracuse University Press. URL accessed August 4, 2013.
  11. Kayyali, Randa A. (January 2006). The Arab Americans, Greenwood Publishing Group. URL accessed August 4, 2013.
  12. Template error: argument title is required.
  13. Aaron Howard (September 6, 2001). Simon Shaheen & Qantara Page 1 Music Houston. Houston Press. Retrieved on February 3, 2011.
  14. Template error: argument title is required.
  15. Pareles, Jon, At Central Park Summerstage, a World of Performers New York Times, Nytimes.com, May 18, 2000. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  16. Rule, Sheila, Ancient Oud Gets A Hearing In Brooklyn, Pqasb.pqarchiver.com, November 7, 1994. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  17. Pareles, Jon, Review/Music; Klezmer Meets Arabic Tradition New York Times, Nytimes.com, February 13, 1993. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  18. (March 11, 1996) New York Magazine, New York Media, LLC. ISSN 00287369. URL accessed August 4, 2013.
  19. Wald, Elijah (2007). Global Minstrels: Voices of World Music, Routledge. URL accessed August 4, 2013.
  20. Chuy Varela, Special to The Chronicle, APPRECIATION / Soraya lost battle with cancer, but raised awareness, Sfgate.com, May 16, 2006. URL accessed on February 3, 2011.
  21. (2000) World Music: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, Rough Guides. URL accessed August 4, 2013.

External links

This page was last modified 17.11.2013 19:43:30

This article uses material from the article Simon Shaheen from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.