Beneath the Veil: Washington Premiere

This powerful, provocative look at the clash of secular and political ideologies, and how it affects the lives of women in the Middle East.

Written by Mary Apick and Ginger Perkins, starring Mary Apick and Diane Baker, this play includes traditional Middle Eastern music by maestro Kazem Davoudian and dance.

October 27, 2006 (Monday) in the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater

Altai Kai

From the Altai Mountains of Central Asia, Altai Kai brings the ancient form of kai "throat music" to Washington.

WATCH & LISTEN to this performance.

Audio Samples:
Oskus Uul (MP3)
Emil Attar (MP3)

Press:
Altai Republic
Radio Praha
McIntyre Department of Music, University of Virginia
Moscow Out
MOFFOM.com
WorldZone
Virginia Foundation for the Humanities

Discography:
Khan Altai (2005)
Altai Altaian (2004)
Attar (2003)

Special Thanks: to the Open World Leadership Center

October 17, 2006 (Tuesday) 6:00 P.M. on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage

Kayhan Kalhor and Erdal Erzincan

Iran's Kayhan Kalhor and Turkey's Erdal Erzincan perform Sufi music together...

Program:
Washington Performing Arts Society
Kennedy Center
ECM Records

NB: Their New York performance on October 8 was part of the Daniel Pearl 2006 World Music Days.

Press:
Washington Post
WETA Cultural Calendar
WGMS Calendar
San Francisco Weekly
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Burlington Free Press
All About Jazz
Duke University Calendar
SymphonySpace
Brandeis University - MusicUnitesUs
Turkuaz

Discography:
The Wind (2004)

October 14, 2006 (Saturday) 7:30 P.M. on the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater

Turkish Festival 2006

The American-Turkish Association of Washington DC (ATA-DC) invites you to their annual Turkish Festival.

Performances include:

• ATA Turkish Folk Dance Troupe
• ATA-DC Ataturk School Folkdance Group
• Bluestar Dance Troupe
• Kardelen Turkish Dance Ensemble
• Ilhan Sami Ozulu
• Silk Road Dance Company
• Turkish Folk Music Group
• Turku
• DC Turkish Folk Dance Troupe

The program with schedule time is available online here: for more information about the festival, food, and more, visit TurkishFestival.org.

Press:
Turkish-American Hour footage
Flickr photos
AmerikadakiTurk.com

October 8, 2006 (Sunday) 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Pennsylvania Ave NW between 12th and 14th Streets (map)

Turku: ZarbeK Studios House Party

The Washington metro area opens its arms warmly to Turku, who play music "from the western half of the Silk Road."

Performers:

• Ted Monnich (saz)
• Farzad Farhangi (violin)
• Daveed Korup (hand drums)
• Denys Proteau (kaval and cumbus)
• Carla Monnich (davul and zil)

(NB: On October 9, 2006 [Saturday], there will be workshops for Drum, Zill, Saz, and Music Theory: email mab@zarbek.com for more information.)

Tickets: $10-$15, available online

Video: MPG

Tour: 2006 Schedule

Press:
Tribe

Discography:
Ozlem (2004)
Nomads of the Silk Road (2000)
Alleys of Istanbul (1999)

Films:
Nomads of the Silk Road (live) (2000)
Alleys of Istanbul (live) (1999)

October 6, 2006 (Friday) 8:00 p.m. at ZarabeK Studios in Annandale, Virginia (directions)

Kinan Azmeh & Kevork Mourad: Gilgamesh Project

The current unrest in the seat of the world's oldest civilization inspired Kinan Azmeh and Kevork Mourad to explore the oldest known work of literature. The Epic of Gilgamesh is a rich, meaningful, romanctic yet humorous story of one man's search for peace and his place in the world. Gilgamesh was king of the Uruk (the biblical Erech) some 5,000 years ago.

Kinan and Kevork have chosen to explore this epic through a collaboration of original music and visuals (live painting and animation), using them in tandem as vehicles for storytelling.

This is Washington's premiere of this artistic collaboration-performance.

Video:
Preview (Quicktime)

Press:
Providence Journal
Sequenza 21
Daily Star

Previous Performances:
Armenian General Benevolence Union (Damascus)
Alwan For the Arts (New York)
Silk Road Project
Pier 63 (New York)
Julliard Journal (New York)
Angel Orensanz Foundation
Qantara.de
MIT

Thanks to: ZaMZaM Arts, The show is made possible through the generous support of Raja Khoury, Geith Kallas, Maher Chalabi, and His Excellency Dr. Imad Moustapha of the Embassy of Syria

Tickets: $25 ($15 for students with valid ID)

October 06, 2006 (Friday) 8:00 p.m. at the University of Maryland's Robert and Arlene Kogod Theatre (directions)