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Wanees Zarour, violin
Wanees is a promising young Palestinian musican who plays various instruments
With enthusiastic musicianship has been evolving brilliantly despite his young age. Wanees's multi-talent in performance and composition has granted him scholarships helped him getting featured with top musicians from all over the Arabic World. Photo
Omar al-Musfi, percussion
Omar is considered one of the best percussionists of his generation. He was born in Syria and obtained his bachelor's degree in music from Damascus Conservatory, Syria 1996, with focus on both orchestral and traditional percussion instruments. He served as a member of the Damascus Philharmonic Orchestra as well as other Middle Eastern orchestras. He played in numerous festivals around the Middle East and Europe, and played with the prominent Arab singers throughout the world. Photo.
George Ziadeh, 'ud/vocal
George was born in Birzeit, Palestine, and pursued music from a young age. He moved
to the United States in 1986 and studied 'ud with Simon Shaheen, a Palestinian 'ud master and traditional singing and voice with Yusif Kassab. George's knowledge in maqam and Arab classical repertoire in tremendous. He is considered an authority in
this field and is acquiring wide recognition.
Jim Stoynoff, clarinet
Jim is a native Chicagoan of Greek and Macedonian background who began studying the clarinet in 1962. Since that time he has specialized in the research, preservation and performance of Greek Folk Music, with particular emphasis on the regional folk clarinet styles of Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. These unique and highly embellished musical motifs have proven extremely difficult to notate, but have managed to survive as part of a rich oral tradition, having been handed down from generation to generation. In this regard, Jim was fortunate to have studied with such masters as Anestopoulos, Stamelos, Halkias and Saffet Gundeger who not only taught him the "secrets" of their artistry, but also provided deeper insight into the historical context and subsequent evolution of these musical genres. The songs, dances and instrumental laments of the Balkan clarinet tradition draw upon Ancient Greek modes and non-evenly tempered (makams), from the, Byzantine, Turkish and Arabo-Persian traditions. The time signatures are typically asymmetric such as 7/8, 5/4, 9/8 and 11/16, with some pieces combining more than one meter, alternating for example between 7/8 and 2/4. Since 1965 Jim has performed regularly at major functions within these ethnic communities and has appeared with various groups throughout the U.S. and Greece. In addition to recordings and TV/Radio productions, he also gives lecture/performances and authors articles on the Balkan clarinet for various publications. He has served as the curator and coordinator for Chicago's Hellenic Museum & Cultural Center exhibit of Greek Music, instruments and discography, and will be building it's archive and permanent exhibit upon completion of the museum's new facilities (est. 2005). While Jim also remains active in various entrepreneurial and business consulting endeavors, he continues to perform regularly and is preparing a comprehensive recording which will contrast regional Greek, Macedonian, Epirus and Turkish clarinet styles. Photo.
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