NYC 4/27-Rare Chance to Hear Marcel Khalife Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit source - Bill Koehnlein Lebanese musician Marcel Khalife, a long-time supporter of the Palestinian struggle for freedom, will be performing in New York City on Saturday, April 27 (8 pm) at Symphony Space. If you have never heard him, now is your chance, and the concert is sure to be a treat. --TOPLAB Marcel Khalife Saturday, April 27, 2002 8:00 PM Symphony Space Broadway at 95th Street New York City Tickets: $40 and $30 One of the Arab world's most popular musicians, Marcel Khalife is a master and innovator of the oud (fretless lute) and a pioneer of contemporary Arab song. Renowned for three decades for his haunting vocals and mesmerizing instrumentals, he has garnered many honors and accolades for his contribution to Arab music. He has performed before sold-out audiences, both Arab and non-Arab, throughout the world. In this rare New York appearance he will be joined by vocalists Oumeima Khalil and Yolla Keriyakos, Peter Herbert (bass), and his two sons, Rami Khalife (piano) and Bachar Khalife (percussion). "...a striking array of colorful timbres and propulsive rhythms..." --L.A. Times ***** http://www.marcelkhalife.com Marcel Khalife was born in 1950 in Amchit, Lebanon. He studied the Near Eastern lute, known in Arabic as the oud at the National Academy of Music in Beirut. Although at that time playing the oud was governed by very strict technical rules, Marcel Khalife and other musicians have since expanded the rules and developed the oud's potential. Khalife taught at the National Conservatory of Music and other institutions from 1970 to 1975. During that time, he also performed solo concerts throughout the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, and North America. In 1972, Khalife formed a group of musicians in Amchit, the town where he was born. The group, which then performed throughout Lebanon, wanted to revive Arabic music and its choral heritage. The Amchit group was an experience Khalife built upon to launch Al-Mayadine Ensemble in 1976, which soon won high renown. He and Al-Mayadine Ensemble continue to perform in concerts in the Arab world, Africa, Europe, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, and Japan. Starting in 1974, he has collaborated to write music for the dance shows of the Caracalla Dance Troupe. The powerful combination of Khalife's music and the troupe's dance has given birth to a new style of Near Eastern ballet with a popular appeal. He has also written soundtracks for documentaries and films directed by the late Maroun Baghdadi, Sophi Sayhf Eddin, and Sami Zikra. The Arabic musical library has been enriched by scores of Marcel Khalife's works, surpassing 20 productions. The list includes Promises of the Storm, Ghina 'iyat Ahmad Al Arabi, Peace Be With You, Weddings, Arabic Coffeepot, Summer Night's Dream and Magic Carpet. Future releases include Body and Soul, Chants of the East, The Symphony of Return, and an Oud Concerto. Khalife's musical scholarship, particularly his mastery of the oud, express themselves in a seminal work the composer started writing in 1982, a six-part Anthology of Studying the Oud. In this work, he dwells on the theory and application of studying the instrument. A set of chapters are devoted to oud duo, trios, and quartets. Marcel Khalife has received many honors and awards throughout his long and highly acclaimed career, including: - Medal of Cultural Merit, Tunisia - Star of the Lebanese Ministry of Tourism - Golden Dagger of the United Arab Emirates - Citation of Merit of the Cultural Lebano-Australian Club, Sydney - Ivory Medal - Abidjan - An honor from the Venezuelan Cultural League - Maracaibo - Citations of Merit from Berlin, Cuba, Bulgaria, and Yemen - Certificates and Letters of Appreciation from the Cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Boston, and Houston. * An Interview with Marcel Khalife http://www.via-dolorosa.net/marcel.htm "Freedom, democracy and bread are the things we lack in our region" Via Dolorosa's Samer Stiban and Edward Calis met Marcel Khalife in Montreal October 31 and conducted the following interview. Q: You were born in a small Lebanese village called Amsheet. Where is this village, and how did your life as a child there affect you and your art? MK: Amsheet is a village north of Beirut, at the Mediterranean; therefore, it is a seaside village. The inhabitants are either fishermen, farmers or peasants. I was raised in this ambiance. My grandfather was a fishermen. I remember I always went to church with my mother just to listen to the magical music and hymns. They used to fascinate me. I was so little I had no concept of religion but was in love with the music. What also impressed me were the Koranic verses sung at the village mosque, as well as the call to prayer. The voices of fishermen, the peasants and the gypsies who used to pass by our house were music to me. I used to listen to their music and their singing with great affection. All of this helped in creating my musical ear. It affected me so much I started to take advantage of everything as a means to make music. I used to knock on tables, chairs, plates, cups and even pots. My parents became so annoyed with me they decided I should have my own musical instrument, so they bought me an oud. Then I went to a teacher in the village, Hanna Karam, a retired military man, who knew a little bit about music. Three months later, he called my parents and told them he had nothing more to teach me. He told them I was gifted, and I should go to a conservatory if I wanted to learn more music. Discovering in me this musical inclination, my mother supported and encouraged me to continue learning music. Unfortunately, my mother died at a young age after she contracted a fatal disease. This affected me greatly. Q: Romance and family love are two themes reflected in your art, particularly obvious in your songs, "I miss My Mom's Bread," "Rita," and others. How did your life as an adolescent affect you? Who is Rita? MK: The mother in my songs is the mother of every person, and Rita is the lover. I sang for all mothers and to all lovers. Q: You have sung songs like "Passport," "I was stopped at the Border," and "Oh, Navy." These songs symbolize your solidarity with the Palestinian people in their stand against the Israeli military occupation. How did you become aware of the Palestinian people and their cause? MK: When I used to attend the conservatory in Beirut, I used to pass by the Palestinian refugee camps. I wondered why these people were living in these houses made of zinc, and what the circumstances were which found them living in this kind of poverty. Some Lebanese families used to live there, too, mind you. I decided I wanted to learn more about the Palestinians, and learn how they lost their lands, lost their homes and their rights in Palestine. I became a supporter since their cause was a just one. Until now, I never hesitate to do anything at all in order to show my support for this great cause. Q: You remain in touch with Lebanese society, and you sing of the people's suffering. What are the main causes you sing for, and what is your aim with these songs? MK: I love to write music in general. There are a lot of issues that we deal with on a daily basis, and I write about these issues. I have a whole album of issues from all walks of life. This is how a song is supposed to be. It has to deal with issues that impact all people of all ages. There are so many ways to express ourselves. Issues like humanity, happiness, life's miseries... are the things I sing for. Q: In 1998 a Lebanese prosecutor accused you of blasphemy for singing lyrics that resembled a verse from the Koran, saying you insulted religious rituals. What has happened with regard to that accusation? MK: The song was written by the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud to tell the story of Joseph and his suffering. It tells the story of how his brothers were jealous of him because he was handsome and very kind. Joseph's story reflected the story of the Palestinian people. It resembled the situation of how their brothers don't like them. When I sang those verses, I kept in mind the sanctity of the words and made sure the subject was sanctified. For reasons which I still don't understand today, the prosecutor came up with this accusation, saying I degraded Islam and religious symbols by singing this song. So there was a lawsuit, and I went to court more than three times. I was lucky the Arab people defended my case, their case and this song. They were not convinced of this accusation. They considered it a false accusation and a human rights issue. Fortunately, the Lebanese justice system protected its own dignity and its might. I specifically appreciate the efforts of the Lebanese judge, Ghada Abu Karrum, who came to the realization that the music I sang did justice to the sanctity of the verse, and it elevated music to another level. This was very important, and it was victory to our culture, to our music and a defeat to the false accusations. Q: Did you find any support from the Arab intellectuals against these charges? MK: Not only the Arab intellectuals, but all the people in general who supported this song and those who discovered the truth. Q: You are known throughout the Arab world to be the artist who sings for the Lebanese south and freedom fighters. Many say that your songs are the only channel by which Arabs can breathe, live, exist and resist. When do you think the day will come when the people will be able to express themselves freely? MK: This subject [freedom] needs hard work. In spite of the fact that people in the Arab world exert huge efforts in trying to reach such a level, we find the regimes in those countries are nothing but dictatorial and oppressive. They have not stopped oppressing the people. Freedom, democracy and bread are the things we lack in our region. A day will come when Arab men and women will gain their freedom, and fulfill their wishes for peace, happiness and peace of mind. Q: In 1999 you were granted the Palestine Award for Music. In turn, you contributed the financial portion of the award to the National Conservatory of Music at Birzeit University in Palestine. Why did you do that? Now, there is a special grant in your name given to music students of high achievement. What is your response to that? MK: I would like to thank the Palestinian Ministry of Culture for this move. This award came during a period of time when I really needed it, the time I had to go to court. I donated this award to the National Conservatory of Music at Birzeit University in full. It was between $4,000 to $5,000. Today, there is a grant in my name for students of high achievement. The head of the conservatory, [Suheil Khoury], asked me recently to write some melodies for various musical instruments, so they can print them and teach them as part of the curriculum at Birzeit University. I will start writing those melodies very soon. Q: You will be visiting New York sometime next year, what is the purpose behind this visit? MK: The visit is part of a tour in the United States during which I will sing the newest songs, the same songs I am doing here in Montreal using instruments like the oud, piano, bass and percussion. We are attempting to show there is a big difference between the culture, art and music in our region and political conflicts. There is a civilization in our region people should know about, to counteract our image in the world. We may be successful in eradicating evil through music, culture and love. Q: What are you working on these days? MK: There is a new CD coming out I call Concerto of Andalus that will be released soon. The first part of the CD is composed of a musical work made in conjunction with an orchestra. The second part contains poetry written by talented Arab poets, like Adonis, Mahmoud Darwish, Hallaj and Muhammed Suweidi. Q: What message would you like to send to the people of the Middle East at this time? MK: I always think about them, and this shows through my work. We all feel the same pain the Palestinian people are feeling as a result of the Israeli occupation and the Israeli oppression and discrimination perpetrated against them on a daily basis. Let this be a cry to the people of the world, so they will understand that the Palestinian people's voice is wounded. Let it be a cry for everyone to come together and help them to achieve freedom, independence and a dignified life on their land. ********************************************************************* "The first duty of a revolutionary is to be educated." --José Martí ********************************************************************* The Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory http://www.toplab.org ********************************************************************* ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytnyc-04.18.02-17:17:34-1234