Trinity Arabesque Society, University College Dublin (UCD) Arab Society and the Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) Arab Society are coming together to celebrate Arabic music as part of a collaborative culture week. There will be plenty of singing in Arabic along with traditional cuisine. The night will consist of several artists performing both original compositions and classics from the early evening until the moon is high in the sky.
With four performers, the night will showcase everything from contemporary music which draws influence from Arabic foundations – such as Libyan-Irish artist Farah Elle – to Palestinian Michael Rishmawi’s classical Oriental sound influenced by the golden age of Arabic music in the 1960s.
A recent graduate of the British and Irish Modern Music Institute (BIMM), Elle has won high praise for her distinctive music which blends her Irish accent with haunting Arabic meslimas. Her most well-known song “Silk” is a hypnotic journey through Irish and Arabic influences. Elle’s search for identity as a young Libyan-Irish musician gives her music a further emotional poignancy. Elle will be performing alternative pop flavoured with everything from hip-hop to ska.
Multi-instrumentalist Rishmawi will take on sprawling Arabic masterpieces alongside his own compositions on his Oud – a traditional instrument commonly heard in the Arabic sound.
Elle and Rishmawi will be playing alongside the Moroccan-Italian singer Maryam Nya who smoothly blends Arabic rhythms and tropes into popular genres such as R&B and dance. Meanwhile, Trinity Arabesque’s Thuraya Shaheen will be giving vocal renditions of some of the most notable classics of the Arabic tradition.
Tickets will be sold through the societies involved and on the event page for €9. On the night, tickets will be €11 on the door of the Grand Social. Whether you’re familiar with the Arabic musical tradition or not, don’t miss this showcase of vibrant, talented individuals on February 27th.
