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“Nostro Mare” Concert
November 05, 20207:00 p.m.
ONLINE
Casa Árabe’s channels on YouTube and Facebook Live.
7:00 p.m.
To mark the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Barcelona Euro-Mediterranean Conference, Casa Árabe, Casa Mediterráneo and Centro Sefarad Israel have organized this musical performance, which will be shown live on our Youtube and Facebook Live channels.
In late November 1995, the Euro-Mediterranean Conference took place in Barcelona. It became a milestone in history by enacting a declaration stating the main lines and objectives of a new EU cooperation policy with the countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean in terms of political, economic and social affairs.
In commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of that event, and to celebrate the process that began there, the “Nostro Mare” concert has been organized to highlight Spain’s commitment to dialogue and understanding in the Mediterranean region.
“Nostro Mare” is a musical event designed for this very special occasion by composer, producer and performer Javier Limón, in which he brings together musicians from very diverse backgrounds and musical traditions, ranging from those with Sephardic roots to Middle Eastern music and flamenco.
In commemoration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of that event, and to celebrate the process that began there, the “Nostro Mare” concert has been organized to highlight Spain’s commitment to dialogue and understanding in the Mediterranean region.
“Nostro Mare” is a musical event designed for this very special occasion by composer, producer and performer Javier Limón, in which he brings together musicians from very diverse backgrounds and musical traditions, ranging from those with Sephardic roots to Middle Eastern music and flamenco.
JAVIER LIMÓN (musical director, flamenco guitar)
Producer, musician and composer Javier Limón has an extensive, highly-acclaimed career behind him. He began composing for flamenco performers and later broadened his range to include Latin jazz musicians and Cuban artists. His compositions and extensive list of productions include the most important albums by artists such as Paco de Lucía, Bebo Valdés, “El Cigala,” Enrique Morente, Wynton Marsalis, Joan Manuel Serrat, Joaquín Sabina and the acclaimed Spanish singer Concha Buika. In 2004, he won the Latin Grammy for “Producer of the Year,” and since then Limón has been awarded a total of seven Latin Grammys, one Grammy and many other nominations. He currently combines his artistic commitments with charitable projects, and with his work as a professor and art director at the prestigious Berklee College of Music’s Mediterranean Music Institute in Boston. Casa Limón, which he founded, is the company in charge of producing this concert.
MONTSE CORTÉS (vocals)
Cortés is a Spanish gypsy flamenco singer. She grew up in the neighborhood of La Mina in San Adrián de Besós. She began singing at Barcelona’s flamenco “tablaos” to accompany dance performances. This is how Antonio Canales discovered her and hired her to join his company, where she remained for five years before deciding to record her first solo album, “Alabanza” (2000), leading to her Latin Grammy nomination. She has also shared the stage with performers of the stature of La Paquera de Jerez and has sung for dancers including Sara Baras, Juan de Juan and Joaquín Cortés, as well as accompanying the great guitarist Paco de Lucía.
LAYTH SIDIQ (violin)
Jordanian-Iraqi violist, composer and educator Layth Sidiq has shared stages such as the London Jazz Festival, the Boston Symphony Hall, the WOMEX Expo and Carnegie Hall with renowned performers like Simon Shaheen, Danilo Pérez, Javier Limón, Jack Dejohnette and Tigran Hamasyan, in addition to others. He has taken part in work on several award-winning albums, and his first album, Son of Tigris, was presented at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2016. He began his musical training at the National Conservatory of Music in Amman with Timur Ibrahimov, and at the age of eleven he made his debut as a soloist in the European String Chamber Orchestra, performing before Jordanian royalty. Layth completed his bachelor’s degree at the prestigious Chethams School of Music in Manchester in the United Kingdom, and he completed his training at Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship. In 2018, Layth was one of the winners of the Zbigniew Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition and became the first Arab musician to participate.
DARIO META (piano)
Of Sephardic origin, Dario Meta is a pianist with a classical educational background who also researches and develops new formats and possibilities to spur increased awareness about music, creating points of contact between it and other artistic disciplines while analyzing their social impact. Some examples of this include his participation in the group Voces del Más Acá, his work for three years in the Association of Students of the Conservatorio Superior Aseconsal (Salamanca), and his projects Jóvenes en Concierto (aimed at allowing school-age audiences to learn more about classical music) and Impropiano (commented concerts dedicated to the relationship between classical music and improvisation). He has also been a speaker at TEDxAlcarriaSt, having given a talk on spreading music to wider audiences.
LIMÓN JR. (piano, vocals)
Limón Jr. began his career in Madrid at an early age, studying piano with Pepe Rivero. He continued his studies of that instrument with Nando Michelin at the Berklee College of Music. His works as a composer include the film “Oro” directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes, in which he also played the piano. He collaborated on Asghar Farhadi’s latest film, “Everybody Knows,” with Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, playing the melodica. He frequently plays in Boston with his band, which opened for Viniloversus in February of 2018 at Café 939. His first single, “The Things,” was released on Casa Limón’s YouTube channel. His debut album, “Solid,” was released in August 2019.
ISRAEL SUÁREZ, “PIRAÑA” (percussion)
Known as “El Piraña, Israel Suárez has flamenco running through his veins. A grandson of “Porrina de Badajoz” and the son of Ramón “El Portugués,” Piraña’s musical career began with the presentation of Niña Pastori’s first album. He joined the group and was soon playing with flamenco artists like Sara Baras, Tomatito, Vicente Amigo, Ketama and Estrella Morente, as well as many others. He began playing with international artists as well known as Lenny Kravitz, Anoushka Shankar, Ricky Martin, Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis, to name a few. Piraña was Paco de Lucia’s percussionist for ten years, and he is currently continuing his musical legacy with the band Flamenco Legends. In 2018, the Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute awarded him the “Maestro del Mediterráneo” award for being one of the most important contributors to advancements in the use of the flamenco “cajón” and for having become a global role model for percussionists around the world.
MUSTAFA SABEA (Middle Eastern percussion)
Born in Baghdad, Sabea received his full musical training in his country of origin, at the Musical Studies Institute in Baghdad, specializing in Middle Eastern percussion from the very beginning. His great versatility has allowed him to work with such well-known performers as Munir Bashir, Mustafa Zayer and Naseer Shamma, as well as Middle Eastern orchestras, and at international music festivals like Mawazine (Morocco), the International Festival of Muscat (Oman), the Andalusian Music Festival (Algeria) and the International Arabic Oud Festival held at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Mustafa Sabea has also given several workshops and music education programs, in addition to a TEDx session in Baghdad in 2013.
Producer, musician and composer Javier Limón has an extensive, highly-acclaimed career behind him. He began composing for flamenco performers and later broadened his range to include Latin jazz musicians and Cuban artists. His compositions and extensive list of productions include the most important albums by artists such as Paco de Lucía, Bebo Valdés, “El Cigala,” Enrique Morente, Wynton Marsalis, Joan Manuel Serrat, Joaquín Sabina and the acclaimed Spanish singer Concha Buika. In 2004, he won the Latin Grammy for “Producer of the Year,” and since then Limón has been awarded a total of seven Latin Grammys, one Grammy and many other nominations. He currently combines his artistic commitments with charitable projects, and with his work as a professor and art director at the prestigious Berklee College of Music’s Mediterranean Music Institute in Boston. Casa Limón, which he founded, is the company in charge of producing this concert.
MONTSE CORTÉS (vocals)
Cortés is a Spanish gypsy flamenco singer. She grew up in the neighborhood of La Mina in San Adrián de Besós. She began singing at Barcelona’s flamenco “tablaos” to accompany dance performances. This is how Antonio Canales discovered her and hired her to join his company, where she remained for five years before deciding to record her first solo album, “Alabanza” (2000), leading to her Latin Grammy nomination. She has also shared the stage with performers of the stature of La Paquera de Jerez and has sung for dancers including Sara Baras, Juan de Juan and Joaquín Cortés, as well as accompanying the great guitarist Paco de Lucía.
LAYTH SIDIQ (violin)
Jordanian-Iraqi violist, composer and educator Layth Sidiq has shared stages such as the London Jazz Festival, the Boston Symphony Hall, the WOMEX Expo and Carnegie Hall with renowned performers like Simon Shaheen, Danilo Pérez, Javier Limón, Jack Dejohnette and Tigran Hamasyan, in addition to others. He has taken part in work on several award-winning albums, and his first album, Son of Tigris, was presented at the Montreal Jazz Festival in 2016. He began his musical training at the National Conservatory of Music in Amman with Timur Ibrahimov, and at the age of eleven he made his debut as a soloist in the European String Chamber Orchestra, performing before Jordanian royalty. Layth completed his bachelor’s degree at the prestigious Chethams School of Music in Manchester in the United Kingdom, and he completed his training at Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship. In 2018, Layth was one of the winners of the Zbigniew Seifert International Jazz Violin Competition and became the first Arab musician to participate.
DARIO META (piano)
Of Sephardic origin, Dario Meta is a pianist with a classical educational background who also researches and develops new formats and possibilities to spur increased awareness about music, creating points of contact between it and other artistic disciplines while analyzing their social impact. Some examples of this include his participation in the group Voces del Más Acá, his work for three years in the Association of Students of the Conservatorio Superior Aseconsal (Salamanca), and his projects Jóvenes en Concierto (aimed at allowing school-age audiences to learn more about classical music) and Impropiano (commented concerts dedicated to the relationship between classical music and improvisation). He has also been a speaker at TEDxAlcarriaSt, having given a talk on spreading music to wider audiences.
LIMÓN JR. (piano, vocals)
Limón Jr. began his career in Madrid at an early age, studying piano with Pepe Rivero. He continued his studies of that instrument with Nando Michelin at the Berklee College of Music. His works as a composer include the film “Oro” directed by Agustín Díaz Yanes, in which he also played the piano. He collaborated on Asghar Farhadi’s latest film, “Everybody Knows,” with Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem, playing the melodica. He frequently plays in Boston with his band, which opened for Viniloversus in February of 2018 at Café 939. His first single, “The Things,” was released on Casa Limón’s YouTube channel. His debut album, “Solid,” was released in August 2019.
ISRAEL SUÁREZ, “PIRAÑA” (percussion)
Known as “El Piraña, Israel Suárez has flamenco running through his veins. A grandson of “Porrina de Badajoz” and the son of Ramón “El Portugués,” Piraña’s musical career began with the presentation of Niña Pastori’s first album. He joined the group and was soon playing with flamenco artists like Sara Baras, Tomatito, Vicente Amigo, Ketama and Estrella Morente, as well as many others. He began playing with international artists as well known as Lenny Kravitz, Anoushka Shankar, Ricky Martin, Chick Corea and Wynton Marsalis, to name a few. Piraña was Paco de Lucia’s percussionist for ten years, and he is currently continuing his musical legacy with the band Flamenco Legends. In 2018, the Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute awarded him the “Maestro del Mediterráneo” award for being one of the most important contributors to advancements in the use of the flamenco “cajón” and for having become a global role model for percussionists around the world.
MUSTAFA SABEA (Middle Eastern percussion)
Born in Baghdad, Sabea received his full musical training in his country of origin, at the Musical Studies Institute in Baghdad, specializing in Middle Eastern percussion from the very beginning. His great versatility has allowed him to work with such well-known performers as Munir Bashir, Mustafa Zayer and Naseer Shamma, as well as Middle Eastern orchestras, and at international music festivals like Mawazine (Morocco), the International Festival of Muscat (Oman), the Andalusian Music Festival (Algeria) and the International Arabic Oud Festival held at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Mustafa Sabea has also given several workshops and music education programs, in addition to a TEDx session in Baghdad in 2013.