Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas

programming

Youssou N’Dour

Friday, June 5 at 8pm
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
BAM presents globally renowned Senegalese musician and humanitarian Youssou N’Dour in a one–night–only concert on the BAM Opera House stage. N’Dour will perform songs that draw on his Islamic beliefs, African heritage, and global experiences.

Bridging the Divide Between the U.S. and the Muslim World Through Arts and Ideas: Possibilities and Limitations

Friday, June 5—Sunday, June 7
Presented by NYU Center for Dialogues at The Brooklyn Marriott
NYU Center for Dialogues presents “Bridging the Divide Between the U.S. and the Muslim World Through Arts and Ideas: Possibilities and Limitations”, an academic, cultural, and policy conference held in conjunction with Muslim Voices: Arts & Ideas. The conference will include approximately 50 artists, producers, religious and community leaders, scholars, curators, and policy makers from the Muslim world and the United States. It will blend performances, panelist presentations, and group discussions to spark conversations about how the rich artistic expressions of Muslim cultures might re–invigorate relations between the United States and the Muslim world. This conference is by invitation only. The opening session, June 6 at 9am will be open to the public via registration on the NYU Center for Dialogues website or email to info at centerfordialogues dot org.

Sufi Music Ensembles

Saturday, June 6 at 8pm
BAM Harvey Theater
Based on a mystical branch of Islam, Sufi music seeks states of ecstasy as a way to find God. For this program, the Aissawa Ensemble from Fes, Morocco and the Al Taybah Ensemble from Tunisia and France will perform an evening of this vibrant musical tradition.

Dastangoi: The Adventures of Amir Hamza

Sunday and Monday, June 7 & 8 at 7:30pm
Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium
One of India’s most acclaimed film stars, Naseeruddin Shah, joined by fellow actors Daanish Hussain and Mahmood Farooqi, recount the adventures of the Prophet Muhammed’s uncle Amir Hamza in an artfully dramatized oral narrative. Exploring a fascinating world full of magic, sorcery, and tricksters, The Adventures of Amir Hamza will be performed in the rich Indian storytelling tradition of Dastangoi which dates back to medieval Iran (Persia). A rare opportunity to see this animated practice which had all but vanished in the early 20th century and which is now being revived by Mahmood Farooqi. In Urdu with subtitles.

Richard III: An Arab Tragedy

Tuesday, June 9—Friday, June 12
BAM Harvey Theater
Developed as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Complete Works Festival, Richard III: An Arab Tragedy places the Shakespeare tragedy within a contemporary context, while examining the relationship between the Arab world and the West. The first Arabic production of a Shakespeare play to be performed at Stratford, England, the critically acclaimed production is directed by Kuwait–born Sulayman Al–Bassam.

Sight Unseen: Video from Afghanistan and Iran

Tuesday, June 9—Sunday, September 13
Asia Society Museum
Sight Unseen is an exhibition that showcases the video works of Afghan artist Rahraw Omarzad and Iranian artist Seifollah Samadian, representing the first time either artist has been presented in a U.S. museum. Rahraw Omarzad is one of Afghanistan’s first avant-garde video artists and played an important role in establishing the Center for Contemporary Art Afghanistan (CCAA), the only not-for-profit arts organization in that country. Omarzad’s work Opening is the result of collaboration with his students and members of CCAA.

The Divas of the Maqam

Thursday, June 11 & Friday, June 12 at 7:30pm
Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium
In Arabic classical music, a maqam (like an Indian raga or Western classical mode) shapes the melodic development of compositions. For two nights, vocalists Nassima Chabane of Algeria and Kamilya Jubran of Palestine, accompanied by a pan–Arab ensemble, will present the beauty and power of this tradition infused with contemporary inflections.

Parissa: Classical Persian Music

Thursday, June 11 & Friday, June 12 at 9:30pm
Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium
Renowned classical Indian singer Parissa, accompanied by instrumentalists on Tar (traditional plucked lute) and Daf (frame drum), will render the deeply soulful texts of the great poets Rumi and Hafez.

Qawwali Gospel Creation

Saturday, June 13 at 8:00pm
BAM Harvey Theater
Qawwali Gospel Creation is an evening of musical exchange between Christian/African-American gospel and Qawwali, the 700-year old tradition of Sufi praise music. The program will feature New Orleans gospel singer Craig Adams and the Voices of New Orleans, and Pakistani singer Faiz Ali Faiz and his Qawwali Ensemble.

Sardono Dance Theater of Indonesia

Saturday, June 13 & Sunday, June 14 at 7:30pm
Asia Society Lila Acheson Wallace Auditorium
Created by director/choreographer Sardono Kusumo, Sardono Dance Theater of Indonesia performs Diponegoro, a dance theater work depicting the 19th century Javanese prince and Muslim mystic who led a rebellion against the Dutch in the 1840s.

Please visit muslimvoicesfestival.org on February 3, 2009 for the full list of events.

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