Date & Time: Friday, February 29, 2008 more on this date
8:00 AM
New York City concert:
Friday, February 29 at 8:00 p.m.
Peter Jay Sharp Theater, Peter Norton Symphony Space
2537 Broadway at 95th St., New York, NY

For concert poster and detailed tour schedule: please visit www.arabesquemusicensemble.com/alfursan.html

The Arabesque Foundation for Arab Culture is proud to announce a nationwide CD release tour, al-Fursan at-Talatha (the "Three Musketeers"). The concert tour features the Arabesque Music Ensemble (formerly the Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble).

Al-Fursan at-Talatha features the music of Muhammad al-Qasabji, Zakariyya Ahmad, and Riyad al-Sunbati, who composed the majority of the repertoire for legendary Egyptian vocalist Umm Kulthum during the "golden age" of Arabic music in the 1930s and 1940s.

The "Three Musketeers" CD is the second recording of historical significance from the Arabesque Music Ensemble, following the 2006 release of "The Songs of Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh: Soul of a People." This CD was named one of the "top-ten world music recordings" by the Boston Globe/WNYC. Peter Margasak of the Chicago Reader has deemed the new CD "a second great record," citing its "elegant classical influence" and stating that the AME is "a really meticulously-organized group that recreates this music with incredible precision and clarity."

Founded in 2003, the Arabesque Music Ensemble presented its debut performance at the Oriental Institute in Chicago and has since conducted three international tours, highlighting Moroccan Andalusian music, contemporary Arab composers, and songs of Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh at such prestigious venues as the United Nations, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Symphony Space, Kennedy Center, Harvard University, and Place des Arts in Montreal.

The Arabesque Music Ensemble has enjoyed critical acclaim; the Washington Post has cited the blending of the vocalists' "amazingly smooth sound with the ensemble's precise rhythmsand perfect intonation." The Los Angeles Times has written of the AME's "rich textures and roving counter-melodies" and "considerable musical versatility, alternating lush ensemble playing with bursts of individual improvisation." From the Harvard Crimson: "All of the musicians delivered virtuosic performances. The vocal performances were outstanding." The Chicago Reader notes, "This group brings a historical authenticity to the material and plays it with crackling precision"; the Seattle Post-Intelligencer praises the AME's "polished performance."

Musicians performing in the Arabesque Music Ensemble are: Michel Merhej Baklouk, percussion; Hanna Khoury, violin; Hicham Chami, qanun; Walid Zairi, 'ud; Kinan Abou-Afach, cello; Youssef Kassab and Aboud Agha, vocals; and guest vocalist Dima Orsho.

The Arabesque Foundation for Arab Culture is a Chicago-based organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of traditional Arabic, Turkish, and Armenian music. AFAC produces concerts, publishes scores and a magazine, and hosts the annual Heartland Seminar on Arabic Music (www.heartlandseminar.com). Xauen Music, the record label for the Arabesque Music Ensemble, distributes the "Three Musketeers" CD online at www.xauen-music.com/alfursan.html

Other East Coast concerts:

Washington, D.C.:
Saturday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m.
Gaston Hall, Georgetown University
37th and O Sts., Washington, D.C.

Boston area:
Tuesday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m.
Distler Hall (Granoff Music Center), Tufts University
20 Talbot Ave., Medford, MA

Additional information is available at www.arabesquemusicensemble.com or at 847-830-8277.