Bassam Saba, a world-renowned nay virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist, will perform on oud, violin, buzuq, saz, and the Western classical flute in a rare appearance on Thursday, May 14 from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Carleton College Concert Hall.
Saba is part of Simon Shaheen’s Near Eastern Music Ensemble and Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road project, and he performs extensively in the United States, Middle East, and Europe. He has worked with some of the most prominent Arab musicians of our time: Fairuz, Marcel Khalife, Ziad Rahbani, Wadi El-Safi, and Kazim al-Saher. Saba has also worked with Western musicians, such as Paul Simon, Alicia Keys, Sting, and Herbie Hancock.
Saba studied nay, oud, and violin at the Lebanon National Conservatory. He is New York’s primary teacher and conductor of Arab music, and is one of the few most sought-after teachers in the United States. He has held numerous Arabic music workshops and lectures around the United States, and has conducted many orchestras and ensembles at educational institutions such as Harvard University and the Arabic Music Retreat, the most prestigious camp for Arabic music in North America.
Saba has his own ensemble, The Bassam Saba Ensemble, which released their debut album, “Wonderful Land” in 2009. Saba records and performs his original compositions with the ensemble. The group’s album is a masterpiece compilation that could only emerge from an artist with breathtaking ability, vast accomplishment, and years of rich life and world experience. For more information, visit www.bassamsaba.com.
This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Department of Middle Eastern Languages. For more information about the event, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222-5178.
