American composer and musician
Simon Shaheen
Shaheen in 1994
Background information Born 1955 (age 69–70) Occupation(s) Musician, composer Instrument(s) Oud , violin
Musical artist
Simon Shaheen (Arabic :سيمون شاهين ; born inMa'alot-Tarshiha , Israel) is an Americanoud and violin player, and composer.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3]
At the age of 2, Shaheen moved with his family toHaifa , but spent most of the weekends inTarshiha , an Arab village inUpper Galilee . The Shaheen family is known for its musicality with music instructor and father Hikmat, oud-playing and instrument-making brother Najib, violinist and oud playing William, and singing sisters Laura and Rosette.[ 4] [ 5] [ 6]
Shaheen began playing the oud at 5, and the violin shortly thereafter.[ 1] Tel Aviv University , earning degrees in Arabic literature and music performance.[ 7] Hebrew University of Jerusalem . In 1980 he emigrated to the United States to study music at theManhattan School of Music andColumbia University , eventually becoming a U.S. citizen.[ 8] [ 9]
He founded the Near Eastern Music Ensemble and organizes arts festivals and retreats.[ 8] [ 10]
Shaheen, aCatholic Arab , lives in New York City, where he leads an Arabic ensemble called Qantara which he formed.[ 11]
In 1994 he received aNational Heritage Fellowship from theNational Endowment for the Arts .[ 12] [ 9]
In addition to his work in traditional and classical Arabic music, Shaheen has participated in many cross-cultural musical projects, including performing with producerBill Laswell ,Colombian singerSoraya ,Henry Threadgill ,Vishwa Mohan Bhatt , and withJewish klezmer musiciansThe Klezmatics .[ 13] [ 14] [ 15] [ 16] [ 17]
1990 –Music of Waheeb , Mango/Island/PolyGram 1990 –The Music of Mohamed Abdel Wahab , Axiom/Island/PolyGram 1992 –Turath (Heritage) , CMP 1993 –Taqasim: Art of Improvisation in Arabic Music 1996 –Saltanah (withV. M. Bhatt ),Water Lily Acoustics 2001 –Blue Flame , Ark 21/Universal ^a b "Simon Shaheen & Qantara 'Blue Flame' .Washington Post . June 21, 2001. RetrievedJune 11, 2024 .^ Mitter, Siddhartha (October 10, 2008)."Simon Shaheen is an ambassador for traditional Arabic music" .The Boston Globe . Archived fromthe original on October 17, 2008. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2011 . ^ Koehler, Robert (September 10, 1993)."Humble Means, Rich Sounds * Masters from far-flung origins will play their simple instruments in North Hollywood. Los Angeles Festival: "HOME, PLACE and MEMORY", A Citywide Arts Fest" .Los Angeles Times . Archived fromthe original on June 4, 2011. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2011 . ^ Rule, Sheila (November 7, 1994)."Ancient Oud Gets A Hearing In Brooklyn" .Chicago Tribune . Archived fromthe original on June 4, 2011. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2011 . ^ Brinner, Benjamin (2009).Playing Across a Divide: Israeli-Palestinian Musical Encounters ISBN 978-0-19-972113-9 . RetrievedAugust 4, 2013 . ^ Roberts, Nina (March 31, 2009)."He Plays Arab Music, Makes and Fixes Ouds" .Wall Street Journal . RetrievedJune 11, 2024 . ^ Rule, Sheila (October 29, 1994)."A Man and His Oud. How's That Again?" .The New York Times . RetrievedFebruary 3, 2011 . ^a b Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2001).All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music 924 .ISBN 978-0-87930-627-4 . RetrievedAugust 4, 2013 . ^a b Benson, Kathleen; Kayal, Philip M. (2002).A Community of Many Worlds: Arab Americans in New York City 1 .ISBN 978-0-8156-0739-7 . RetrievedAugust 4, 2013 . ^ Kayyali, Randa A. (January 2006).The Arab Americans ISBN 978-0-313-33219-7 . RetrievedAugust 4, 2013 . ^ "Turning His Dreams Into Achievements" .Philadelphia Inquirer . April 4, 1999. Archived fromthe original on June 8, 2011.^ Rule, Sheila (November 7, 1994)."Ancient Oud Gets A Hearing In Brooklyn" .Chicago Tribune . Archived fromthe original on June 4, 2011. RetrievedFebruary 3, 2011 – via Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. ^ Pareles, Jon (February 13, 1993)."Review/Music; Klezmer Meets Arabic Tradition" .The New York Times . RetrievedFebruary 3, 2011 . ^ "Live at the JM!" .New York Magazine . New York Media, LLC. March 11, 1996. p. 23.ISSN 0028-7369 . RetrievedJune 11, 2024 .^ Wald, Elijah (2007).Global Minstrels: Voices of World Music ISBN 978-0-415-97930-6 . RetrievedAugust 4, 2013 . ^ Chuy Varela, Special to The Chronicle (May 16, 2006)."APPRECIATION / Soraya lost battle with cancer, but raised awareness" . Sfgate.com. RetrievedJune 11, 2024 . ^ Broughton, Simon; Ellingham, Mark; Trillo, Richard (2000).World Music: Latin and North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific ISBN 978-1-85828-636-5 . RetrievedAugust 4, 2013 .
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