April 20, 2006
Syria celebrated in two events
Syria is the focus of a forum and a concert next week on the UW campus. The April 27 forum, “Treasures of Damascus: The Sights and Sounds of Syria,” will serve as a prelude to the April 29 concert by Syrian musician Abdullah Chhadeh and his ensemble, Nara.
Chhadeh is the Arab world’s most innovative qanun player. He has re-designed this 10th century harp-like instrument by the addition of an octave, enhancing its tonal range. His work has included adaptations from the Syrian, Turkish, Azerbaijani, and Andalusian traditions as well as more surprising interpretations of well-known Western classical composers.
Appearing as part of the World Music and Theatre Series at Meany Hall, Chhadeh will demonstrate the sound he’s developed with his ensemble Nara, a sound that blends the unmistakably Arabic quanun with jazz double bass and Western percussion, as well as its more traditional counterparts, such as the nay, darbuka and Arabic accordion.
Chhadeh will also appear at the forum and do a short demonstration on the qanun. Other speakers at the forum include Scott Davis, founder of Seattle’s Cune Press and author of The Road From Damascus; Walid Farhoud, classical Arabic musician and scholar; and Mamoun Sakkal, architect, UW doctoral student and master of Arabic calligraphy.
The forum is at 7 p.m. at the UW Club and is free. The concert is at 8 p.m. at Meany Theater. Tickets are $29 and can be purchased at the Arts Ticket Office, 206-543-4880, and online at www.uwworldseries.org. There will be a pre-show lecture at 7:15 p.m. in the Meany Hall west lobby.
