The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz presents a concert by the famed Alwan Arab Music Ensemble, Saturday, April 29, at 7:00 p.m. at Studley Theatre on campus.
The Ensemble is known around the world for its singular ability to transport listeners through the places and moods of the greater Arab world. With mesmerizing rhythmic textures and improvisational intensity, their performance evokes Cairo, Baghdad, al-Quds and Aleppo, as well as the uniquely vibrant Arab-American art of contemporary New York.
The Alwan Arab Music Ensemble features:
- Amir ElSaffar: Trumpet, Santur, Vocals
- Dena ElSaffar: Viola
- Firas Zreik: Qanun
- George Ziadeh: Oud, Vocals
- Layth Sidiq: Violin
- Naseem Al Atrash: Cello
- Tareq Rantisi: Percussion
(Musician bios available online)
Admission for the Alwan Arab Music Ensemble is $10 General Admission, $5 for SUNY New Paltz students with a valid ID.
Purchase tickets online at https://alwanarabmusicensembleatdorskymuseum.eventbrite.com/.
This performance is presented in conjunction with the Dorsky Museum exhibition Text/ures of Iraq: Contemporary Art from the Collection of Oded Halahmy, an exhibition drawn from the personal collection of New York-based sculptor Oded Halahmy, a Jewish native of Baghdad.
The varied works in the exhibition range from examples of modern Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy, illustrating texts from both Western and Islamic philosophical traditions, to those that evoke hurufiyah, an influential modern Arab variant of Lettrism, which used the swoops and curves of the Arabic alphabet as painterly gestures.
Curated by Murtaza Vali, the exhibition is on display in The Dorsky’s Howard Greenberg Family Gallery through May 21, 2017. More information is available online.
About the Dorsky Museum
Through its collections, exhibitions and public programs, the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz supports and enriches the academic programs at the College, presents a broad range of world art for study and enjoyment and serves as a center for Hudson Valley arts and culture. The museum is widely recognized as the premier public showplace for exhibition, education and cultural scholarship about the Hudson Valley region’s art and artists from yesterday and today. With more than 9,000 square feet of exhibition space distributed over six galleries, The Dorsky Museum is one of the largest museums in the SUNY system. Since its official dedication on Oct. 20, 2001, The Dorsky has presented more than 100 exhibitions, including commissions, collection-based projects and in-depth studies of contemporary artists including Robert Morris, Alice Neel, Judy Pfaff, Carolee Schneemann and Ushio Shinohara.
Museum Hours: Wednesday–Sunday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Holidays and Intersessions.
For more information about The Dorsky Museum and its programs, visit http://www.newpaltz.edu/museum or call (845) 257-3844.
