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“...full
of dignified passion. On violin, his playing was throaty and sensual.
His phrases sighed and lingered over the tune, then spun off trills
and filigree like sparks. On ‘oud, his crisply picked lines
took on tension and drama, each measured phrase holding suspense.”
New York Times
"Simon Shaheen's success in combining characteristics of Middle
Eastern music, Western classical music, jazz and Latin rhythms into
a gorgeous tapestry can be traced to his capacity to find their
common threads."
Los Angeles Times
“‘Ecstacy’
best describes the exquisite performance given by [this] virtuoso.”
The Detroit Times
Simon Shaheen dazzles his listeners as he deftly leaps from traditional
Arabic sounds to jazz and Western classical styles. His soaring
technique, melodic ingenuity, and unparalleled grace have earned
him international acclaim as a virtuoso on the ‘oud and violin.
Shaheen is one of the most significant Arab musicians, performers,
and composers of his generation. His work incorporates and reflects
a legacy of Arabic music, while it forges ahead to new frontiers,
embracing many different styles in the process.
Most recently, Shaheen
has focused much of his energies on Qantara.
The band, whose name means arch in Arabic, brings to life Shaheen's
vision for the unbridled fusion of Arab, jazz, Western classical,
and Latin American music, a perfect alchemy for music to transcend
the boundaries of genre and geography. “I want to create a world
music exceptionally satisfying to the ear and for the soul,” says
Shaheen, “This is why I selected members for Qantara who are all
virtuosos in their own musical forms, and whose expertise and knowledge
can raise the music and the group's performance to spectacular levels.”
While Qantara has been the focus of Shaheen's
attention recently, he continues to lead the Near
Eastern Music Ensemble, which remains active performing concerts
in museums and art centers and participates in Shaheen's Arab Music
Retreat. Additionally, Shaheen tours as a solo artist internationally
and as a lecturer throughout the academic world promoting awareness
to Arab music through numerous lecture and workshop presentations.
In 2009, look for the multi-faceted program Aswat-Celebration
the Golden Age of Arab Music featuring a full orchestra
and renowned singers of the Arab world
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