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Christiane Karam in Concert
From March 04, 2014 until March 19, 2014
Vocalist of Lebanese originWednesday, March 12 in Cordoba and Thursday, March 13 in Madrid
The Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute and Casa Árabe are continuing with their schedule of musical performances, this time bringing to the stages of Madrid and Cordoba a vocalist of Lebanese origin, Christiane Karam, who is accompanied by Fares Btoush on the Arab oud, Firas Hassan on percussion, and Andrea Fraezer on the bass. All of them are young musicians from the Berklee College of Music (Boston) and the Berklee Mediterranean Music Institute (Valencia).
Christiane Karam
Singer and composer Christiane Karam was born in Beirut and grew up there. She earned her diploma in classical piano at the age of 16, and for several years she was a professor and performer, before moving to Boston to study singing, composition and jazz at the Berklee College of Music. After graduating Summa Cum Laude, she completed a Master’s degree in Contemporary Improvisation at the New England Conservatory of Music, where she was named a Kimball P. Stickney Scholar for two years in a row.
Christiane’s unique vocal style has arisen from her love for different musical traditions. She founded the group ZilZALA, a winner of many awards characterized by a mixture of styles originating from different regions in the Middle East, the Balkans and the world of jazz. She has performed on well-known stages and at important festivals, including Carnegie Hall, Summerstage, Celebrate Brooklyn!, Symphony Space, the Koprivshtitsa Festival, Plovdiv Academy & the Moscow International House of Music. In 2009, she also took part in the documentary film “The Music Instinct: Science and Song,” with appearances by Bobby McFerrin, Daniel Levitin, Oliver Sacks, Daniel Barenboim and Yo-Yo Ma.
In addition to her work as a performer, Christiane has received acknowledgments and prizes for her compositions and was awarded at the Berklee school for her contribution to mutual understanding through a concert for peace among nations which she produced after 9/11. At present, she is a member of the faculty at the Berklee College of Music as an Assistant Professor. She is the founder and manager of the Berklee Annual Middle Eastern Festival.
Her latest album, “Eastern Tapestries,” is dedicated to the different vocal traditions of the Middle East, Balkans and Central Asia, from the perspective of contemporary music.
| “Ever since I met Christiane Karam, a new musical world has opened up before me. She is one of the most important voices in today’s Mediterranean music. In addition to being a great vocalist, she has a very special artistic vision. She combines the widest-ranging influences in a unique way, as can be seen in her group, the Pletenitsa Balkan Choir. I am convinced that her latest album, “Eastern Tapestries,” will be a reference for young artists who work to build bridges between different musical cultures.” Javier Limón, producer, composer and musician |
| “Christiane possesses the mystery of the Bulgarian voice. She captures the soul of this music and sings it as if it were her own. Her love for tradition and her skill in conveying the music in a convincing way make her become a wonderful link between our culture and others. I am certain that she was Bulgarian in a former life.” Binka Dobreva, solo performer from the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices |
This concert forms part of the musical program which Casa Árabe has been holding over the last seven years, a program through which it seeks to increase awareness of contemporary Arab music and fusions, presenting the most important and innovative Arab musicians in today’s music scene to the Spanish public. Youths Layth Al-Rubaye and Nasseem Alatrash are therefore joining a long list of performers who have taken part in Casa Árabe’s musical performance program, including the acclaimed Simon Shaheen, Naseer Shamma, Rabih Abukhalil, Idir and Cheika Zahouania.
CONCERTS
CORDOBA. Wednesday, March 12, at 8:00 p.m. in the Casa Árabe auditorium (at Calle Samuel de los Santos Gener, 9). Tickets for this concert are free. You can get tickets at the Casa Árabe Cordoba headquarters from March 6 to 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Maximum of two tickets per person.
MADRID. Thursday, March 13, at 8:00 p.m. in the Casa Árabe auditorium (at Calle Alcalá, 62). Tickets are on sale through the Casa Árabe website (www.casaarabe.es) at a price of 4 euros. Any tickets which are not sold on the Internet will be sold as of one hour before the concert at the door of the Casa Árabe Auditorium, at a price of 5 euros, or 4 euros for the officially unemployed, Arabic Language Center students and youth card holders.
