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ASWAT Ensemble to Present Summer Concert on May 31
Aswat, the acclaimed Bay Area Arab Music Ensemble, will present its"Summer Concert: music from Palestine, Iraq, Syria and Egypt" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 31, in the Theater of the College of San Mateo, 1700 West Hillsdale Boulevard, San Mateo.
The concert will feature classical and folk music from Egypt, Palestine, Syria , Iraq and Lebanon.
Guest performers will include(1) vocalist Abboud Bashir from Aleppo, Syria who specializes in the ancient tradition of Arab Spain. Mr Bashir is a master of reciting Mawwal, a form of vocal improvisation requiring a deep and great knowledge of Maqamat (music modes and scales). He sings Adwar. Egyptian genre using colloquial poems, ending his Wasla medley with traditional folk songs called Taqtuqa (2) Vocalist and Master Egyptian percussionist Gamal Gomaa.
The ASWAT music ensemble ,which has been performing in the Bay Area for seven years,compromises 20 vocalists and an accompanying orchestra of 16 authentic Arab instruments.
The musical director of ASWAT is Wael Kakish, a classically trained musician from Jordan who teaches at universities in Southern California .Mr.kakish co-founded the Los Angeles-based Kan Zaman ensemble.
ASWAT concerts normally attract an audience of 500 music aficianados.
Tickets are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com at rates ranging from $15.00 for students to $100.00 for supporters; general admission is $25.00.Parking is free and plenty.Free traditional Arabic coffee will be served during intermission.
ASWAT operates under the sponsorship of ZAWAYA, Inc. a local non-profit organization.For information, see http://www.zawaya.org or call 650 341 3697.
Book Release Reception and an Evening of Music and Food
ZAWAYA is pleased to invite you for an evening of music, food,
presentations, and book reading & signing; celebrating the release of
a new book: Encyclopedia of Arab American Artists, by Zawaya's
president, Professor Fayeq Oweis.
Saturday, January 26, 2008, 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
at Mudrakers Cafe, 2801 Telegraph Ave, Berkeley
The book, the first of its kind, features 100 Arab American artists.
Some local artists who are featured in the book will be attending the
reception. Bring your copy of the book or buy one there and have it
signed by the author and local artists.
For additional information, visit http://www.oweis.com/artists.html
Zawaya Presents,
ASWAT's winter concert,
Directed by Wael Kakish
“Classical and Folkloric Arabic Music”
Featuring:
Al-Farabi ensemble founder, musician and vocalist,
Noureddine Kallel
Tunisian Qanoun player, Hatem Frikha
Violinist, Samy Shumays
Vocalist, Samara
Saturday December 1st, 2007
7:30-10:00 PM
At The College of San Mateo Theater,
Free parking
Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/22511
$100 Support level
$40 preferred
$25 General
$15 Student
Ramadan Iftar 2007
September 29, 2007
Dear Friends,
Ramadan Mubarak.
Ramadan is the time for all of us to give, to share, and to support our community.
We are seeking donations for our Seventh Annual Complimentary Iftar and ‘Idiyyah Evening for the Muslim Families of the Tenderloin District.
Zawaya is currently organizing its seventh annual Ramadan event for Tenderloin Muslim families. Invited to this event are the over one hundred Muslim families from Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Pakistan, India, Bosnia, North Africa, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Egypt living in and around the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. The average family has three to five children, and many such families live on welfare in overcrowded apartments.
This event will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 29, 2007 at the Tenderloin Children’s Playground at 570 Ellis Street (between Leavenworth & Hyde). It will include Maghrib prayer and a free iftar for all guests. The children will have their own fun-filled corner with educational games and prizes. At the end of the evening, we will distribute a gift to each young person present as well as a gift to each family. All left-over food and drinks will also be distributed to the families, who all leave with hearts full of gratitude and arms loaded with gifts.
This celebration has become Zawaya’s most successful and cherished event. At last year’s iftar, more than 340 people attended, including 154 children/youth. We were blessed with more than one hundred volunteers. All the families and children immensely enjoyed the gathering, including the meal and the gifts. We attribute that success to your generous donations and tremendous efforts.
Parents and children are already eagerly awaiting this year’s event and asking us about it. We need your help and time again this year to make it a successful event. Please share this letter with all your friends who are willing to help.
All of us at Zawaya would like to share with you a joy that is unmatched—the joy of seeing the members of the Tenderloin Muslim community get together and celebrate Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, two of the most important times in the Muslim year. These families are part of our broader community, and it is our responsibility to try to give back and keep our traditions and sense of community alive at all times. We do not want to disappoint those who are counting on us, and this is the least we can do.
Your contribution is tax-deductible and can be part of your zakat. Donations needed include the following:
Money for food, hall rental, and equipment rental.
Prepared food items (for at least twenty people), e.g. hot dishes, desserts, fruit, canned or individual-sized drinks. (Please drop off food at the hall by 6:00 p.m. on September 29.)
Disposable plates, cups, forks, spoons, napkins, etc., for 400 people.
Money for cash ‘idiyyah for the youth (ten- to twenty-year-olds).
Non-monetary donations for families (new clothes, school supplies, kitchen items, house items, blankets, etc.).
Gifts and toys for children ages one to ten. (If it is wrapped, kindly specify the age and gender on the outside. Also, arrange with Zawaya for delivery by September 21.)
Gift certificates from stores such as Safeway and Albertsons.
If you are willing to donate any of the items above, please contact one of the following people:
Nabila Mango at (415) 673-5700 ext # 2018, email: nabila@sbcglobal.net
Inas Elmashni at (650) 245-9256, email: ielmashni@yahoo.com
Sevim Kalyoncu at (415) 674-3747, email: sevimk2@yahoo.com
Rossmia Coo at (415) 368-1343, email: miacoo@yahoo.com
For monetary donations, please make checks payable to Zawaya and mail in the
enclosed, stamped envelope to:
Zawaya
311 – 41st Avenue
San Mateo, CA 94403
Zawaya will be administering the volunteer sign-up for this event via a Yahoo Group dedicated solely to this purpose. If you plan to volunteer, please send an email requesting membership to
zawaya_iftar-subscribe@yahoogroups.com and follow the instructions that will be forwarded in the reply.
Iftar for volunteers will be available at the event for $10.00.
Jazakum Allah khayran. May your Ramadan be blessed as you help the needy and make a difference in our community.
Gratefully,
Dr. Fayeq Oweis
ZAWAYA President
Duraid Musleh
ZAWAYA Vice President
Zawaya
Presents
ASWAT’s Winter Concert
“A Night of Music and Songs from The Arab World”
ASWAT, The Bay Area’s only Arab Ensemble directed by Wael Kakish
Singing classical and folk songs from Tunisia, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon & the Arab Gulf.
Featured Artists:
Tunisian Classical singer and musician Nouriddine Kallel
Guest Violinist from New York Sami Shumays
Guest vocalist Samara
Saturday December 1st, 2007
7:30-10:00 PM
At The College of San Mateo Theater,
1700 West Hillsdale Boulevard
San Mateo, CA 94402
Free parking available.
Tickets:
- Support level, $100
- Preferred seats, $40
- General admission, $25
- Student’s admission, $15
Tickets will be on sale after October 15, 2007
Check back on our website
Classical & Folkloric Arabic Music by ASWAT
ASWAT is directed now by Wael Kakish, the artistic director of Kan Zaman in LA.
Aswat is planning its next concert at the College of San Mateo on Saturday, December 1, 2007.
If you would like to join Aswat as a volunteer, if you play an instrument, or like to sing, now is the time to get involved in the Bay Area's Only Arabic Music Ensemble. We will teach you the music and singing in Arabic; no prior experience necessary for vocalists.
The group rehearses approximately every other Sunday. Practices run
from 2-5 PM, preliminary session at 2 p.m. is held to train non-Arabic-speaking
vocalists in the Arabic lyrics and pronunciation.
Rehearsals are held at the Arab Cultural Center, 2 Plaza Avenue in San Francisco.
Parking is plentiful and it is also accessible by public transportation.
Rehearsal for the December 1st concert are scheduled on:
Sunday, August 5, 12, and 26
Sunday, September 9 and 23
Sunday, October 7 and 21
Sunday, November 4, 18, and Friday, November 30
We have opening for vocalists & instrumentalists who can play violin, viola, cello, oud, percussion, and qanun.
And remember, you don't have to speak Arabic and you don't have to be
an Arab. We'll teach you what you need to know.
For further information contact nabila@sbcglobal.net
ZAWAYA Proudly Presents a New Art Exhibit:
The Work of Mohammed Al Sadoun
Reception: Thursday June 21, 2007
6:00 – 9:00 PM
Exhibit runs through July 21, 2007
At the Arab Cultural & Community Center
2 Plaza Street, San Francisco, CA 94116
Tel: 415-664-2200
Mohammed Al Sadoun is an Iraqi painter and conceptual artist. He holds a Ph.D. from Ohio State University and has exhibited his work nationally and internationally. His work involves using unconventional materials and concepts including burning books, doors and furniture. His choice of such objects is “both testimony and silent protest against aggression in all its forms, including global dominance.” Al Sadoun explores many issues including the war on Iraq, the destruction of homes in the time of war, protesting the censorship, the lack of freedom of expression and human rights in the Middle East. He is also a researcher and a historian of modern Arab art, especially contemporary Iraqi art, and has given numerous lectures and presentations about the subject at academic institutions and cultural centers.
ZAWAYA, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting Arabic Music, Art, Poetry, Literature, Theater, and Culture through instruction and presentation.
For more information, contact ZAWAYA at (650) 341-3697 www.zawaya.org,
email: info@zawaya.org
Past Events
ASWAT’s Summer Concert
ASWAT, The Bay Area’s only Arab Ensemble now directed by Wael Kakish
Singing Muwashahat and Folk music from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
Featured Artists:
Iraqi Maqam Singer Saadoun al-Bayati
Iranian Tar Virtuoso Sahba Motallebi
Dabkeh by Al-Juthoor
Saturday June 2nd, 2007
7:30-10:00 PM
At The College of San Mateo Theater,
1700 West Hillsdale Boulevard
San Mateo, CA 94402
(650) 574-6161
Free parking available.
Tickets:
Internet: www.zawaya.org (PayPal to donate at zawaya.org)
At The Arab Cultural Center, (415) 664-2200
- Premium seats, $100
- Preferred seats, $35
- General admission, $20
- Student’s admission, $10
At the door : cash only
Reading and Book signing
by Dr. Mohja Kahf
A poet, a novelist and an associate professor of Comparative Literature at University of Arkansas.
Dr. Kahf will be reading from her poetry volume "E-Mails from Scheherazad" and her Novel "the Girl in the Tangerine Scarf".Both books will be on sale at the event for book signing.
Refreshment will be served.
Free and plenty of Parking. Donation to defray cost are welcomed at the door.
ZAWAYA and ASWAT is sponsoring a free interactive presentation and a lecture on Arabic music:
The Foundations and History of Arabic music
by
Wael Kakish
Artistic Director of Kan Zaman, Los Angeles and ASWAT in the Bay Area,
and
Alfred Madain
Los Angeles musician and Ethnomusicologist
When: April 15, 6:00 - 8:00 PM
Where: Arab Cultural Center, 2 Plaza Avenue, San Francisco.
Limited Space 45-50
Bring your instruments with you to learn few Arabic maqams.
Refreshments will be served.
Note: On April 15, feel free to come at 4:00 PM to watch ASWAT rehearsing (4-6 p.m.) for our up-coming concert at College of San Mateo theater on June 2nd. Concert General admission is $20.00 and student $10.00. Check zawaya.org for more info on concert or email nabila@sbcglobal.net
The ACCC and Zawaya present
Out of Place:
Memories of Edward Said
Out of Place traces the life and work of Edward Said (1935-2003), the Palestinian intellectual who wrote widely on history, literature, music, philosophy and politics. Filmed in Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt and the U.S., Out of Place is a fascinating biographical film on one of the most acclaimed cultural critics of the postwar world. It is an engaging examination of the cultural and political issues to which he devoted his life.
When: February 15, 6:30 pm
Where: 2 Plaza St. San Francisco, CA, 94116
For more information call (415) 664-2200 ext. 19
Dec 3, 20006
Reception, discussion, and book signing
November 19 , 2006
The Arab Cultural & Community Center and ZAWAYA invite you to a reception, discussion, and book signing of The Golden Beauty’s Secret by Dina Saoudi
COME and SUPPORT OUR ARAB-AMERICAN YOUTH
When: Sunday, November 19 , 2006
Reception @ 4pm, Discussion @ 5pm
Where: The Arab Cultural & Community Center,
2 Plaza St. San Francisco, CA 94116
Suggested Donation for ACCC fund, members $5, non members $10, FREE for STUDENTS
Title: The Golden Beauty’s Secret Author: Dina Saoudi ISBN: 0-8059-6989-6
Book Summary: Tania Johnson, an attorney with a secret identity as a Lebanese intelligence agent falls in love with the CIA agent, Sam Johnson, who is helping her avenge the murder of her mother. Tania has been lying to Sam for three years, but her deception begins to eat away at her, causing her to reevaluate her intentions.
About the Author: Dina Saoudi was born in 1985 and raised in Amman, Jordan. She obtained her Bachelor’s of Arts from San Francisco Sate University in May 2006. Her book was published in March 2006. Saoudi is currently in the Social Psychology Masters Program at San Francisco State University.
For more information please call, (415) 664-2200 ext. 19 or email, smanneh@arabculturalcenter.org
Ramadan Iftar 2006
Zawaya sponsors the Sixth annual Ramadan Iftar for the Tenderloin Muslim Families on Sunday, October 8, 2006. The families and children of the Tenderloin impatiently await this event. Help us make the 2006 Tenderloin Ramadan celebration as successful as the past five by volunteering your time, donating money, food, gifts for the children, 'idiyyah for 12-18 youth, paper products, soft drinks and water, dates or desserts. The event is held at the Tenderloin Children Playground at 570 Ellis Street 7-10 PM. For further details please contact Nabila Mango at (415) 673-5700 ext. 2018 or email Nabila@sbcglobal.net . for your tax-deductible, tax-exempt donations write check to Zawaya and mail it to: 311-41st avenue San Mateo, CA 94403. Jazakum Allah Khairan wa Ramadan Mubarak
click here for photos of past Iftars
Mills College Event: Concert Series- Aswat
November 19, 2005
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Music Building Concert Hall
Mills College
5000 MacArthur Blvd
Oakland, CA 94613
Description: Aswat choir and orchestra is a community group that presents Arabic folk and classical vocal and instrumental music.
Saed Muhssin: Oud, Music director Nabila Mango: Founding Member, Executive Director
$12 general, $6 seniors. Tickets may be purchased the door.
The Concert Series is sponsored in part by a gift from the Ann and
Gordon Getty Foundation.
Programs are subject to change without notice. The Concert Line: (510) 430-2296.
Past Events
SAUDI POETESS NIMAH NAWWAB SPEAKS IN BAY AREA
Saudi poet Nimah Ismail Nawwab will be featured at events in the Bay Area from July 31 through August 4, 2005 under the sponsorship of ZAWAYA, a local Arab-American cultural organization. She will read from her 2004 collection of poems, The Unfurling.
Unusually for an Arab poet, Nawwab writes by preference in English. Her work, known for its spare language, keen intellect and soaring spirit, is described as a bridge between East and West. Mohja Kahf, also a poet, says that Nimah Nawwab expresses a highly individualized consciousness that is both Arab and cosmopolitan, both Islamic and humanist.
The events schedules to date are as follows:
* Sunday, July 31, 4-6 p.m., 1167 Nikulina Court in San Jose. Dr. Marwan and Mrs. Nahda Balaa will host a cultural afternoon in their home and garden. The afternoon will feature poetry reading and a book signing by Nimah Nawwab, as well as live Andalusian music, sale of original Yemeni paintings, and refreshment. Donation $5.00. Phone 408 203 0596.
* Thursday August 4, 7:30-9:30 p.m., 2 Plaza Avenue, San Francisco. The Arab Cultural Center will host an evening including Nawwab's poetry reading, Andalusian music, refreshments and sale of Robert's prints of Lebanon and Palestine. For information, call 415 664 2200.
Additional events may be arranged.
Nimah Nawwab combines poetry with art and photography, and has published numerous articles in Aramco World Magazine (some copies of the magazine will be available). Nawwab's The Unfurling will be for sale and inscription at both events.
For additional information about events, or to arrange to interview Nimah Nawwab , contact Zawaya at 650 341 3697 or email nabila@sbcglobal.net
ZAWAYA
311 - 41st Avenue, San Mateo, California 94403. Phone: 650-341-3697
email:info@zawaya.org
Copyright © 2003, ZAWAYA. All rights reserved.
Last Revised:4/16/2008
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