RAHIM ALHAJ WITH BEREKET

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Saturday, October 27, 2012, 8:00 pm
Bates Recital Hall
$10.00-32.00

Part of the 2012-2013 Texas Performing Arts Season

Rahim AlHaj, oud
Issa Malluf, percussion

Bereket UT Middle Eastern Ensemble
Sonia Seeman, director

Presented in partnership with the Butler School of Music and the Austin Classical Guitar Society

Composer and virtuoso of the Iraqi oud (the grandfather of all stringed instruments), Rahim AlHaj and percussion prodigy Issa Malluf join The University of Texas Middle Eastern Ensemble, Bereket, for an evening of new and traditional Middle Eastern music.

Called “one of the top oud players in the world” by the San Francisco Chronicle, AlHaj’s music delicately combines traditional Iraqi maqams with contemporary styling and influence. His compositions evoke the experience of exile from his homeland and of new beginnings in his adopted country of the U.S. His pieces establish new concepts without altering the foundation of the traditional “Iraqi School of Oud.”

Rahim AlHaj, a two-time Grammy nominee, has performed and recorded with master musicians from around the globe including Bill Frisell and R.E.M., and performed as part of the Cultural Olympiad at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.

Issa Malluf is an Albuquerque born world-class prodigy, whose drum genius has blossomed from his teenage years into international tours with the best drummers in the world. Besides performing with AlHaj, Issa has also toured with tabla master Zakir Hussain and fronts his own band called Banu Noor.

Under the direction of Sonia Seeman, The University of Texas Middle Eastern Ensemble, Bereket, consists of University students, faculty, staff, and community members. Named after a word that translates as “abundance,” “fruitfulness,” and “divine gift,” Bereket creates a sense of community around musical performance.

“A unique combination of traditional and innovative performance techniques. AlHaj’s spontaneous inventions are constantly fascinating.”
LOS ANGELES TIMES

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EVENTS
Artists In Residence – Guest Lecture for MUS 342 Music and Gender
• Thursday 10/25/12
• 2:00 pm
• MRH M3.113
Hosted by Assistant Professor Sonia Seeman

Middle Eastern Studies and Musicology/Ethnomusicology Colloquium
• Friday 10/26/12
• 4:00 pm
• Butler School of Music
Hosted by Assistant Professor Sonia Seeman