FUSIONS features an evening of traditional and contemporary Arab and Jewish music, performed by some of the world’s most respected artists

April 3, 2014
By Scarlet Park '16

Carleton College proudly presents FUSIONS, an evening of traditional and contemporary Arab and Jewish music, at the Weitz Center for Creativity Theater on Monday, April 7 at 7 p.m. FUSIONS will be presented by world-renowned musicians Taiseer Elias on the oud, Uri Vardi on cello, and Menachem Wiesenberg on piano. A discussion with the three virtuoso artists will follow the performance. This event is free and open to the public.

A master of both Eastern and Western music, oud player and violinist. Taiseer Elias is one of the foremost Middle Eastern musicians of our time. Recognized as a leading figure in classical Arab music, he is the founder and conductor of the first Orchestra of Classical Arabic Music in Israel, and currently the musical director and conductor of the Arab-Jewish orchestra and the Music Center in Jerusalem. Elias has recorded with a number of ensembles including White Bird, Bustan Abraham, Ziryab Trio (of which he is the musical director) and others. He has also composed music for theater and films. Additionally, Elias is the head of Eastern Music Department at the Rubin Academy of Music, the head of the Musicology Department at Bar Ilan University, and director of Arab music education in the Education Ministry in Israel.

In 2008 Elias was awarded the “Frank Peleg Prize for Music Performers in Israel” by the Minister of Culture and Sports in Israel; and the German “Wurth Prize” for outstanding performance. He holds an MA and PhD in ethnomusicology from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

Elias will be joined on stage by pianist Menachem Wiesenberg, considered to be one of Israel’s most varied and acclaimed musicians, and Israeli cellist Uri Vardi, currently a professor of music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Department of Middle Eastern Languages, the Middle East Initiative, and Arts at Carleton. For more information about this event, including disability accommodations, contact Arts at Carleton at (507) 222-4389. The Weitz Center for Creativity is located at the corner of Third and College Streets in Northfield.