Alfonso Cid

Maqam Fest is Alwan’s biggest annual music event, showcasing six of the most exciting ensembles in New York and around the U.S., each bringing its own unique approach and variation on maqam music. Developed more than a millennium ago, maqam is a complex system of musical modes and represents one of the great legacies of the Arab-Islamic world. Maqam pervades the musical cultures from the Maghreb (Northwest Africa) to Western China, from the Balkans to the Sudan. Maqam Fest 2013 celebrates a line-up that pays tribute to this long-honored tradition and alluring geographic spectrum, featuring ancient traditions, explorations of historic ties between musical styles, and contemporary compositions and improvisations.This year's Maqam Fest line-up includes:AHMET ERDOGDULAR (7:30-8:00) - Sufi and Ottoman Classical music from Turkey EVA SALINA (8:15-8:45) - Re-imagined songs of Balkan Romani legends of the 60s, 70s, and 80sNEW ANDALUCIA (9:00-9:30) - Flamenco and Arab intersectionsThe ALWAN ARAB MUSIC ENSEMBLE (9:45-10:15) - Traditional music of Cairo, Aleppo, and BaghdadSALAAM (10:30-11:00) - Original compositions in Arab and Middle Eastern styleAmino Belyamani’s SSAHHA (11:15-11:45) - Compositions and improvisations over Moroccan grooves with a re-tuned pianoMaqam Fest articulates the tradition of the maqam within a thriving forum that interlinks, interconnects, constructs and deconstructs on a musical plane that rises above convention and the ordinary. The age-old concept of maqam and its transcendence of national and geographic borders align with Alwan’s vision towards diversifying the cultural experience in New York and providing a space where art, music and performance can be negotiated creatively, while informing and being informed by other traditions.This showcase is part of the annual Association of Performing Arts Presenters (APAP) Convention. One of the most anticipated events of the performing arts field, this convention brings thousands of presenters, agents, managers, artists from around the country and the world in the fields of dance, theater, and music to New York City each January.