Simon Shaheen Ensemble Tickets
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One of the finest oud and violin virtuosos as well as composers of the music industry, Simon Shaheen is coming along with his ensemble to give you all a show to remember. Simon is a Palestinian-American artist whose work incorporates and reflects a legacy of Arabic music embracing many different styles in the process. Simon Shaheen has showcased his amazing talents throughout the world and is soon going to make a stop in your country. If you're looking for some quality time, delay no more in reserving your Simon Shaheen Ensemble tickets.
Simon Shaheen was born to a family of singers and instrumentalists. His father was a composer, educator and founder of two regional orchestras and grandfather was the principal singer in the church who sang classical Arab music repertoire. Following the age of five, Shaheen has been playing oud and the violin. When he was seven, young Shaheen began studying western classical music and by the age of 12, he was made in charge of running his father's orchestra. Simon Shaheen is reported to have said, "I did all the rehearsals and arranged everything, while my father supervised." Simon grew up listening to the compositions of Arab musicians like Mohamed Abdel Wahhab and Riyad al-Sunbati in the voice of the very famous singer of the time, Umm Kalthum. His musical training started right from his home and to further polish his talents, Simon Shaheen went on to earn his bachelor's degree in literature and music from the Academy of Music in Jerusalem. He came to the US in the early 80s to pursue graduate studies in music and that is when he began to showcase his musical talents in public.
Today, Simon Shaheen is regarded as one of the most dynamic musical links between the Arab world and the West. He has been doing jam packed shows since the 90s and is currently among the most successful musicians to have achieved fame and recognition in both Arab and western countries. Simon specializes in playing oud and the violin with mesmerizing frenzy and caresses. The New York Daily News have described his approach as, "some of the most sublime Arab music to be heard this side of the Dead Sea." Shaheen's compilation of classical Arab music titled, Turath is named one of the outstanding traditional recordings of the 90s by The Library of Congress in New York City.
Apart from teaching students the beauty of traditional music, Shaheen also leads an Arabic ensemble called Qantara. Apart from Arabic music, the orchestra also incorporates elements of jazz, pop and western classical music. This has led to many cross cultural musical projects including performances with several artists like Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, The Klezmatics, Soraya, Bill Laswell and Henry Threadgill. To date, Simon Shaheen has worked with many well-known record label companies including Universal, PolyGram, CMP, Mango and Island. Some of his recent compilations include Blue Fame, Saltanah and Taqasim: Art of Improvisation in Arabic Music. As mentioned in the last title, Simon Shaheen is popular for improvising by adding modal shifts and unexpected rhythm phrases every time he performs live. He is referred to as the "master of taqasim" or improvisations. Keeping in mind his years of experience and expertise in traditional music, Simon Shaheen was awarded one of 11 National Heritage Fellowship Awards for outstanding contributions to traditional music from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Musician, Simon Shaheen is always a treat to watch in a live concert. He sometimes completely changes the tune right in the middle of his performance earning heavy applause from massive audiences. Those who want to listen to something different and innovative, delay no more in getting your Simon Shaheen Ensemble tickets from us.