Israeli Chava Alberstein May 15 Palestinian Simon Shaheen May 29 at the Kimmel Center
Kimmel Center to host pre-concert discussions on the arts as an agent for political change
May 3, 2004
Simon Shaheen
Chava Alberstein can easily be named as Israel’s most accomplished singer. She has released over 54 recordings since the late 1960’s, many of them now gold or platinum. Chava has released more than 40 albums in Hebrew, six of which have been awarded the Kinor David prize, Israel’s Grammy. Alberstein’s recent releases include 1998’s The Well, an album of Yiddish poems she transformed into folk songs with the renowned klezmer group The Klezmatics. Foreign Letters was released in North America in 2001. In September 2003 a box set with over 200 songs was released in Israel. Her latest album, Motzai Khag (End of the Holiday), was released to rave reviews in Israel and in the United States earlier this year. A public television concert special starring Chava Alberstein entitled "Voices, A Musical Celebration" aired worldwide in November 2001.
"In Israel, Chava Alberstein is Joan Baez and Sarah McLachlan rolled into one: a thoughtful songwriter with folky roots, peaceable instincts, a voice filled with compassion and an earnest desire to improve things." (The New York Times)
One of the most acclaimed Arab musicians of his generation, instrumentalist and composer Simon Shaheen deftly leaps from traditional Arab to jazz and classical styles. His distinctive work can be heard on the soundtracks for Malcolm X and The Sheltering Sky, on his own albums and in his collaborations with Sting and Colombian pop star Soraya. His Kimmel Center program is a tribute to the legacies of Egyptian songwriter and actor Mohamed Abdul Wahab and singer Um Kulthum.
"He has coaxed the oud’s elastic, syncopated sound across musical borders, from classical Arab compositions to contemporary jazz fusion. He has stretched social boundaries, too, establishing himself as an important interpreter of Arab cultures for Western audiences." (The New York Times)
Both concerts will be preceded by a free, one-hour discussion in the Merck Arts Education Center at the Kimmel Center from 6 to 7 p.m. focusing on how the arts have and will act as an agent for political change. The discussions will be moderated by Buntzie Ellis Churchill, the president of the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, an organization dedicated to creating an informed citizenry on matters of national and international significance.
Panelists for the discussions will include: Jerry Sorkin, owner of the imported rug business J.M. Sorkin in Wayne, PA, and who has also brought Israelis and Palestinians together through a number of musical events; Marwan Kreidie, the president of the Arab-American Community Development Corporation; Itzhik Becher, manager of Chava Alberstein and other Israeli artists; and Leah Purcell, Eisenhower Fellow and artistic director of Bungabura Productions, an aboriginal theater company in Australia, whose fellowship goals include the application of the arts to conflict resolution; and Mervon Mehta, vice president of programming and education for the Kimmel Center.
Both discussions are free and open to the public.
Tickets for the May 15th performance by Chava Alberstein and the May 29th performance by Simon Shaheen are $28 & $38.
Tickets may be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org or at the Kimmel Center box office, open daily from 10am to 6pm and later on performance evenings. For group sales call 215-790-5883.
A limited number of $10 tickets will be available for every Kimmel Center Presents performance at the Kimmel Center. $10 tickets go on sale the day of the event and can be purchased at the Kimmel Center box office beginning at 5:30pm for evening performances and 11:30am for matinees. Limit one per person.
Chava Alberstein and Simon Shaheen perform as part of the Kimmel Center Presents Sovereign Bank World/Pop Mix series, generously supported by Sovereign Bank and Verizon Foundation. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Kimmel Center Presents. BMW is the Official Vehicle of Kimmel Center Presents.
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