Summer Night Sahra, Featuring Zahra AlZubaidi & Marwa Morgan

• Zahra AlZubaidi, voice
• Marwa Morgan, voice
• Zafer Tawil, oud, qanun, violin, & Arab percussion
• Sami Abu Shumays, violin & voice
• Johnny Farraj, riqq, oud, & voice
• John Murchison, double bass

An evening of classic Arabic music featuring songs by Umm Kulthum, Mohammad Fawzi, Farid al-Atrash, and others, performed by the duet of Zahra and Marwa.

Doors open at 7pm; concert starts at 7:30pm.

About Zahra AlZubaidi, voice

Zahra Alzubaidi is an Iraqi vocalist based in NYC who performs a variety of Arabic styles, and has appeared with several ensembles throughout the US.

About Marwa Morgan, voice

Marwa Morgan is an Egyptian singer and journalist based in New York City. Grew up in Cairo, surrounded by classical Egyptian music. Since moving to U.S. 2015, music has become a way to connect her to home. She has performed with several ensembles in the U.S.

About Zafer Tawil, oud, qanun, violin, & Arab percussion

Zafer Tawil is an accomplished Palestinian musician and a virtuoso on ‘oud, qanun, violin, and Arab percussion. He performs across the U.S. and in the Middle East with such musicians as Sting as well as celebrated world music artists. He was a featured composer and performer in acclaimed director Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-nominated film “Rachel Getting Married” and is composing and performing for Demme’s next film project, Zeitoun. Zafer is continuously exploring the boundaries of Arab music, and often performs collaborative concerts involving classical Indian and Persian music, as well as Jazz fusion. He has been a guest teacher at workshops on Arab music at many institutions and universities across the United States. A native of Jerusalem, he resides in New York City.

About Sami Abu Shumays, violin & voice

Sami Abu Shumays is a violinist and vocalist performing traditional music from Egypt and Syria. He founded and directs the ensemble Zikrayat.

About Johnny Farraj, riqq, oud, & voice

Johnny Farraj is a Lebanese-born musician and software engineer of Palestinian descent. His main instrument is the riqq; he also plays the oud and sings. Farraj is the creator of the Maqam World website (maqamworld.com), the leading Internet reference on Arabic music theory, and is a frequent Arabic music blogger, teacher, and performer, as well as a lifelong listener.

About John Murchison, double bass

John Murchison is a Brooklyn-based bassist and multi-instrumentalist. He is known for his active role in several musical circles, performing primarily in pop and musical theater, jazz and avant-garde, and traditional musics from the Middle East and Africa.