Lots of classes coming up, including percussion classes and a new ensemble class! Check our Classes page for the full lineup!

September 9: Abbas - Tribute to Mohamed Mounir

Abbas is a Cairo-born sound artist whose musical journey was shaped by the rich and diverse sounds of North Africa and the Middle East. He brings a multidisciplinary approach to his work as a performer, with elements of poetry, theater, and street performance. This project is celebrating the legendary Nubian/Egyptian musician Mohamed Mounir, more…

September 29: Tareq Abboushi & SHUSMO

Don't miss this rare chance to hear Tareq and his band SHUSMO back in Brooklyn after many years!

Tareq Abboushi is a Palestinian multi-instrumentalist, bandleader, educator, and award-winning composer. After graduating William Paterson University with a Jazz Piano degree, he decided to pursue the buzuq to explore his roots in Arab Music. This led him to perform with notable musicians such as Simon Shaheen, Suad Massi, Abeer Nehme, and Lotfi Bouchnak. His diverse background appears across multiple genres from classical Arab, to Jazz, Electronic, film, dance, radio, television, and commissioned soundscapes. Abboushi’s discography includes two albums with his band SHUSMO, five albums with Amir ElSaffar, and appearances on many other albums including three with Grammy-winner Dan Zanes. Currently based in Finland, he lived in Brooklyn for many years and we are delighted to welcome him back for this visit!

SHUSMO was founded in 2001 by Tareq Abboushi while studying Jazz piano at William Paterson University. As the group evolved and its lineup grew, they recorded two albums and became a regular presence on the New York music scene until 2012, when Abboushi left the city. Since then, it's only on rare occasions like their reunion performance in 2016 that audiences have had a chance to hear SHUSMO perform live — so don't miss this one!

Details
 

August 25: Noma Mouna 

Noma Mouna is an Arab American singer, pianist, and songwriter whose artistry bridges the rich traditions of Arabic music with the refinement of Western classical vocal technique. Inspired by her father, Iskandar Saker, she began more…

September 9: Abbas - Tribute to Mohamed Mounir

Abbas is a Cairo-born sound artist whose musical journey was shaped by the rich and diverse sounds of North Africa and the Middle East. He brings a multidisciplinary approach to his work as a performer, with elements of poetry, theater, and street performance. This project is celebrating the legendary Nubian/Egyptian musician Mohamed Mounir, more…

Sat, Jul 11th | 9:30 PM

Joe’s Pub presents Laura Elkeslassy in her debut album release Ya Ghorbati: Divas in Exile (vinyl pre-order now available on Ayin Press).

The musical intersections in Laura Elkeslassy’s Ya Ghorbati (يا غربتي), to today’s ear might seem a wistful statement of political and cultural imagination: outdreaming borders and questioning the supposed binary of Arab and Jew. But for early-to-mid 20th century legends like Line Monty, Zohra Elfassia, Habiba Msika, and Salim Halali, they were just the sonic facts of their lives and identities.

These cultural nexuses continue in families like Elkeslassy’s, the Brooklyn-based musician born and raised in France, with ancestral Jewish roots in Morocco. A spellbinding and raucous retro-futurist cabaret, Ya Ghorbati (or “Oh, my exile”) bridges Elkeslassy’s sense of familial longing for what’s lost with an excavation of the music of past North African Judeo-Arab divas. Weaving together folk and sacred music from the Maghreb, ranging from traditional Andalusi style, to popular Chaabi, to Francarabe cabaret, Ya Ghorbati moves across time and space to trace a history of political upheaval and exile.

Elkeslassy launches her much-anticipated studio album of spirited, haunting judeo-arab folk at Joe’s Pub on July 11, with a stellar live band directed by Ira Khonen Temple (music direction and production), playing alongside accomplished instrumentalists Eylem Basaldi (music production), Yoni Avi Battat, Nizar Dahmani, Zoe Guigueno, and Rachid Halihal.
 

Reserve Seats

MEGUMI & Friends
presenting original compositions by MEGUMI, shaped by her experiences in Brooklyn, Japan, and Egypt. Drawing from Arabic maqam traditions, Japanese lyricism, and contemporary jazz, the music blends improvisation with polyrhythmic textures.

MEGUMI, violin & compositions
Brian Prunka, oud
Justin Salisbury, piano
Moto Fukushima, bass
Ronen Itzik, drums

MEGUMI is a Japanese violinist and composer whose performances have spanned from Carnegie Hall to Palestinian and Syrian refugee camps. Rooted in her three homes—Japan, New York, and Egypt—her compositions bridge cultural psyches in search of unity within diversity. Shaped by New York’s diverse music scenes and intensive study in Cairo under legendary violinist Abdo Dagher, MEGUMI weaves together contemporary jazz, Japanese lyricism, and Arabic music from the Golden Age. A frequent soloist with ensembles and orchestras in Egypt, including the Cairo Opera House, she crosses both literal and musical borders to create new music. Her upcoming album, Grenades on the Dance Floor, is anticipated for release in late 2026.

Brooklyn Arts Fund and Creative Equations Fund, in part, by NYC Dept of Cultural Affairs, Howard Gilman Foundation, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council

7pm to 9:30pm

$20 Tickets

Pay now online now or in person that night

Tickets do not guarantee seating. 

The Agam Septet is a new project led by Sami Abu Shumays focused on virtuosic Arabic (and some Turkish) instrumental music, inspired by the music of Egyptian violinist Abdo Dagher and Turkish kanun player Goksel Baktagir. This first show will highlight four of Sami's own instrumental compositions - in their first public premieres - alongside some of the pieces that inspired them and Sami's violin playing in general.

Featuring:

Sami Abu Shumays, Violin
Gideon Forbes, Nay
Gabe Lavin, oud
Zafer Tawil, qanun
John Murchison, bass
Alber Baseel, percussion
Johnny Farraj, percussion

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Date: Tuesday June 23rd 2026
Location: Sisters, 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Time: 8pm (7:30 Doors)

Wednesday, June 3: Souq El-Jazz
 

Nublu, 151 Ave C, New York, NY 10009, USA
Doors 7:30 PM

Get Tickets

violin/vocals | Renata Choglo (Portland, OR)
vocals/guitar | Mohammad Salah Aly (New York, NY)
trombone | Khalid Razick (Boston, MA)
keys | Mohammad Araki (San Fransisco, CA)
drums | Julian Pavone (Boston, MA)
bass | Marwan Allam (New York, NY)
oud | Hussam Bahloul (Boston, MA)
hand drums | Ghassan Sawalhi (Boston, MA)

Arabic Jazz Fusion ensemble of the collective Souq el-Jum3a. Presenting original jazzy compositions and reimagination of old songs from the Arab world. Band members are of diverse musical backgrounds and geographical location around the US who all merge classical arabic/maqam music and jazz.

Wednesday, Jun 10: Layale Chaker | Kinan Azmeh & Kyle Sanna

Barbès, 376 9th st, Brooklyn, New York

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First set:
Ahl al Thara, violinist-composer Layale Chaker’s new work-in-progress project, is rooted in song as inheritance and as offering. Drawing from melodies and recitations passed down through her mother and elders, alongside reimagined songs from South Lebanon and Galilee, Layale weaves an intimate songbook of remembrance, tenderness and return, received, reshaped in the present and offered onward.
Joined by Ryan al Solh (guitar) and Carmen Quill (bass), more … 
 

Tuesday May 26: NY Oud Festival Day 5 - Michael Burdi, Adam Good

Sisters - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238
8 PM (7:30 doors)
$20 advance ($25 door) - Get Tickets

Michael Joseph Burdi is an oud player and composer from Brooklyn, NY. Of Syrian/Lebanese and Italian descent, he combines influences from Middle Eastern scales (maqamat), Western harmony and North African rhythms in his original compositions.  This performance will be a collection of original songs with influences from Levantine, Maghrebi and Turkish sources, along with traditional songs played on oud accompanied by synth/keys and percussion.

Adam Good is a Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist and composer working with contemporary modal music in the traditional styles of Turkey, Greece and Eastern Europe. He will present his Balkan Oud Trio, a project rooted in the rich melodic and rhythmic traditions of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, and beyond. 

More …

Friday May 29: NY Oud Festival Day 6 - Ameer Armaly 

Barzakh Cafe, 147 Utica Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213
6 PM
$20 advance - Get Tickets
 

Exploration of Oud Playing in the Twentieth Century: a guided listening presentation and performance with Ameer Armaly. This program will present, through recordings, the evolution of oud playing throughout the twentieth century in the Arab World. Initially relegated exclusively to supporting a vocalist with simple responses and short improvisations, the oud has evolved into an instrument for expression of virtuosity, compositional creativity, and cultural exchange. The presentation will be followed by a performance.

Born in South Carolina, Ameer Armaly was exposed to the oud and Arabic music in general from an early age through his uncle who played the oud. He went on to study under Simon and Najib Shaheen. Ameer performs as an instrumentalist with a variety of artists and leads an Arabic music ensemble which performs regularly around the New York area, cultivating local talent and reviving the great Arabic instrumental and vocal music of the twentieth century. More …

Sunday May 31: NY Oud Festival Day 7 - Huda Asfour | Armadi Tsayn 

Joe's Pub, 425 Lafayette Street, New York, NY 10003
8:30 PM (8 PM Doors)
$36 plus food/drink minimum - Reserve Seats

In this unplugged version of her latest solo project “Naqous,” Huda Asfour places the spoken word at the heart of the musical experience. Through oud, voice, and looping, Huda explores repetition as both memory and resistance: what returns, what insists, and what refuses to disappear. For when the storm won’t stop and all logic fails, an invitation to stand true and hold space. More of a testimony, less of a concert. A catharsis. A prayer for clarity amid the chaos.

Contemporary Armenian Folk ensemble Armadi Tsayn will be performing a number of original compositions, alongside a few classical pieces from the Anatolian region. The group is led by oud player and composer, Samuel Sjostedt, and includes Alek Surenian on percussion, Filippo Novi-Goller on bass, and Mehrpouya Daneshvar on clarinet. Mixing nodes of Jazz and Western classical, Armadi Tsayn invites listeners to experience a program that takes shapes of multiple generational sounds in real time. More …

Friday, May 22: NY Arabic Chorus - Spring 2026 Concert

NY Arabic Chorus - Spring 2026 Concert
May 22nd 2026
7pm (6:15pm Doors)
First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn
119-121 Pierrepont Street Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tickets $25 Advance ($30 Door)

Join us for a very special evening of music and culture as we celebrate the culmination of the New York Arabic Chorus' Spring season.  The only group of its kind in NYC, The NY Arabic Chorus enters it's second year of showcasing the beauty and depth of Arabic music in a harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary sounds. Under the direction of Mona Miari, the choir brings together voices from diverse backgrounds to create an unforgettable experience that bridges cultures and celebrates unity through music.

More info & Tickets  

Saturday, May 23: NY Oud Festival Day 3 - Volkan Efe, Brandon Terzic, Bahloul

Jalopy Theatre - 315 Columbia St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
7:30pm (7pm doors)
$30 advance ($35 door) - Get Tickets

Originally from Turkey, Volkan Efe is an oud player and multi-instrumentalist whose music spans Turkish classical, folk, and sufi traditions. Volkan will be joined by Michael K. Harrist on yaylı tanbur and bendir.

Iconoclastic Oud player Brandon Terzic has forged a distinct style on the instrument that draws as much from West African traditions as it does its Arabic native tongue. He will present his group Xalam, rounded out by virtuoso cellist Rufus Cappadocia and Haitian percussionist Bonga Jean Baptiste.

Bahloul is a musician, poet, writer, and performance artist born in Lattakia, Syria. He is the founder of project ta'sheeq which merges the elements of poetry/music/visual art together in multi-sensory performances.

More …

Sunday, May 24: NY Oud Festival Day 4 - Bahar Badiei, Layan Hawila, Farah Zahra

Maqām Studio - 250 44th St, Brooklyn, NY 11232
3pm 
$30 - SOLD OUT

Bahar Badiei is a Brooklyn-based oudist, composer, and educator from Tehran, Iran. 
Bahar will perform a solo set of pieces and improvisations from the Iranian classical musical repertoire (Dastgah music), as well as a trio set of original compositions, accompanied by double bassist and vocalist Devon Gates and pianist Yvonne Rogers.

Farah Zahra is an ethnomusicologist, archivist, and oud player. Accompanied by Zafer Tawil on percussion, she will perform classical pieces and improvisation from the Iraqi school of oud.

Layan Hawila is a Palestinian Oud player and singer born and raised in Haifa. This performance will feature Layan’s singing and oud playing; drawing from the traditions of the Levant, the music reflects on love, longing, and homeland. 

Tuesday May 26: NY Oud Festival Day 5 - Michael Burdi, Adam Good

Sisters - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238
8pm (7:30 doors)
$20 advance ($25 door) - Get Tickets

Michael Joseph Burdi is an oud player and composer from Brooklyn, NY. Of Syrian/Lebanese and Italian descent, he combines influences from Middle Eastern scales (maqamat), Western harmony and North African rhythms in his original compositions.  This performance will be a collection of original songs with influences from Levantine, Maghrebi and Turkish sources, along with traditional songs played on oud accompanied by synth/keys and percussion.

Adam Good is a Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist and composer working with contemporary modal music in the traditional styles of Turkey, Greece and Eastern Europe. He will present his Balkan Oud Trio, a project rooted in the rich melodic and rhythmic traditions of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, and beyond. 

More …

Tons of music this month! All month we are sponsoring the New York Oud Festival, check our calendar or the full schedule here: www.newyorkoudfestival.com
 

Wednesday, May 13: New York Oud Festival Day 1 - Albert Agha! 

We are thrilled to have Dr. Albert Agha performing for the first time at the NY Oud Fest! He will be at Barbès this Wednesday at 7 PM.  More than just a fantastic oud player and singer, Albert Nasser Agha is an ethnomusicologist, music educator, and director.  He is an accomplished interpreter of the classical Arab repertoire - this program will bring together classical Arab repertoire, featuring works from Egyptian and Syrian traditions, alongside original compositions rooted in classical forms, performed through voice and oud. It includes the premiere of a new instrumental work that explores musical bridges between the Middle East and Southeast Asia, emerging from Agha’s research into the integration of modal systems across cultural traditions.
 

Albert Nasser Agha- Oud & Vocals
Insia Malik- Violin
Gabe Lavin- Buzuq
Alber Baseel - percussion

More details and tickets
 

Thursday, May 14: New York Oud Festival Day 2 -  Bilen Işıktaş and Gabriel Lavin at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

Immerse yourself in the oud with a performance by Gabriel Lavin and Bilen Işıktaş followed by a discussion and Q & A. Be inspired by the oud, its musical history, and its artistic connections to The MET collection.

Free with Museum admission; admission is pay what you wish for New York state residents, and free for children under 12 with an adult, and a caregiver accompanying a visitor with a disability. Note: Space is limited; first come, first served. 

Dr. Bilen Işıktaş is a scholar-artist and Professor of Musicology at Istanbul University State Conservatory, currently a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University’s Department of Music. His work integrates performance, historical research, and the sociology of music, with a focus on Turkish and Ottoman musical traditions and their contemporary reinterpretation.

Gabriel Lavin, Ph.D., is a musician, scholar, and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. His research on cultural history, media, and music has been published in a variety of international volumes and academic journals. A graduate of Beit Al Oud in Abu Dhabi, he is a specialist in modern oud playing and education in addition to oud playing styles from the Arabian Peninsula. He currently serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at Columbia University.

More details 

Tuesday May 19: Group Maqam Singing Classes: Arabic Music for All

Sami Abu Shumays is back with another round of his popular maqam classes! Each month's class will focus on a different maqam:
May 19th: Maqam Hijazkar
June 16th: Maqam Bayati Shuri
July 14th: Maqam Huzam

There is a package discount if you register for all three classes.  Need financial assistance? Please fill out our scholarship form 
 

Friday, May 22: NY Arabic Chorus - Spring 2026 Concert

NY Arabic Chorus - Spring 2026 Concert
May 22nd 2026
7pm (6:15pm Doors)
First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn
119-121 Pierrepont Street Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tickets $25 Advance ($30 Door)

Join us for a very special evening of music and culture as we celebrate the culmination of the New York Arabic Chorus' Spring season.  The only group of its kind in NYC, The NY Arabic Chorus enters it's second year of showcasing the beauty and depth of Arabic music in a harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary sounds. Under the direction of Mona Miari, the choir brings together voices from diverse backgrounds to create an unforgettable experience that bridges cultures and celebrates unity through music.

More info & Tickets  

April 17: Ara Dinkjian & the NY Gypsy All-Stars (RBA)

This entrancing evening blends Armenian, Balkan, Middle Eastern music and jazz composed by Ara Dinkjian, one of the world’s top oud (fretless lute) players. Dinkjian began his musical career by accompanying his father Onnik Dinkjian, a celebrated Armenian folk and liturgical singer; he later founded the acclaimed Night Ark quartet, and in recent years has performed with The Secret Trio.

He will be joined by the New York Gypsy All-Stars: Tamer Pinarbasi (kanun -zither), Ismail Lumanovski (clarinet), Marius Van Den Brink (keyboards), Panagiotis Andreou (electric bass), and Engin Gunaydin (drums) — classically-trained virtuosi coming from the world’s most prestigious music conservatories who perform music that highlights their diverse cultural backgrounds.

More Info and Tickets

This event is presented by Roulette in partnership with Robert Browning Associates, Brooklyn Maqam, and Lotus Music & Dance.

April 21: Brooklyn Čalgija

Brooklyn Čalgija takes its name and sound from an urban folk tradition of Slavic Macedonia and the southern Balkans. Emerging in the late 19th century within the Ottoman cultural sphere, čalgija (from the Turkish çalgı, “instrument”) brings together Ottoman classical aesthetics with Slavic and Romani influences into a refined café and salon style.

Shaped by the dance rhythms of the Balkans and melodies based on makam, čalgija is performed on oud, violin, clarinet, kanun, daire and darbuka. This vast repertoire is sung in Macedonian, and performances often feature taksim, creating a richly ornamented, old-world sound.

Adam Good - oud

Greg Square - clarinet

John Murchison - kanun

Jenny Luna - voice, percussion

Matt Moran - darbuka

Jerry Kisslinger - daire

$20 Suggested at the door

Tue, Apr 21 @ 8:00PM Sisters Brooklyn, 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238

CAFÉ AMAN PROJECT is a women-led diasporic collective celebrating Greek Anatolian music and dance! We remember the stories of love, nostalgia, exile and longing for homeland which permeate the experience of the Greeks of Anatolia. The musical repertoire is Rembetika and Smyrneika— the fusion of Greek and Ottoman urban folk which proliferated in Athens and Asia Minor at the turn of the 20th century. They are Mediterranean melodies which emanate joy and sorrow, and that have survived the last 100 years.

Rodini Shamhalis: violin, vocals

Maria Dellaporta: qanun, vocals

Erikos Vlesmas: bass

David Chorowski: oud/lavta

Kazuki Kozuru: darbuka

Myrto Daskaloudi: dancer
 

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Sami Salloum is a vocalist whose musical journey is deeply rooted in the rich traditions of Arabic music. Born and raised in Syria, he cultivated his passion for singing early on. He has called New York home for the past seven years; previously he lived in Lebanon, during which time he performed in numerous festivals across Lebanon. He currently performs with the New York Arab Chorus and is a featured singer with Ameer Armaly's band. Sami enjoys singing various genres, including tarab and Arabic classics.

Sami Salloum: Vocals 
Mohammad Salah: Oud 
Sarah Mueller: Violin 
Gideon Forbes: Flute, Nay and Saxophone 
John Murchison: Qanun 
Johnny Farraj: Percussion
Alber Baseel: Percussion

Tuesday March 24th 2026 
Sisters, 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 
8pm (7:30 Doors)

$20 at the door 

Jam session/open mic after the featured set, bring your instrument and sit in!

March 13 at Roulette: Explorations in Arabic Maqam—Brian Prunka & Ayman Asfour: (RBA)
8:00 pm

Oud player Brian Prunka, whose music has been described as “intricate, anthemic” and “spellbinding” (NY Music Daily), and the award-winning Egyptian violinist Ayman Asfour present exciting new music for a traditional Arabic takht (chamber ensemble).

As two of New York’s most distinctive and compelling composers of modern music rooted in the Arabic maqam tradition, their work maintains deep roots in Arabic melodic forms and rhythms while authentically exploring their diverse experiences.

Ayman Asfour - violin
Brian Prunka - oud 
Firas Zreik - qanun 
Gideon Forbes - nay, clarinet
John Murchison - bass
Alber Baseel - percussion
Simon Moushabeck - accordion, percussion

Get Info & Tickets: Roulette.org

March 17: Group Maqam Singing Classes: Arabic Music for All
7pm-8:30pm

This month's maqam class focuses on Maqam Nawa Athar/Nikriz. 

Learn Arabic Music from master musician and educator Sami Abu Shumays, co-author of the acclaimed book Inside Arabic Music and creator of the YouTube series "Maqam Lessons." The group call-and-response singing format of these classes creates a non-judgmental environment that makes learning enjoyable. Non-musicians, beginner musicians, and experienced practitioners will all benefit from the insights and pragmatic approach Sami offers. 

Register Here

March 18: 10-Week Group Percussion Course with Nezih Antakli 

All classes will meet at 7pm at Brooklyn Music School (126 St Felix St, Brooklyn, NY 11217). 

Journey through the rich history and culture of Middle Eastern and North African drumming. This hands-on course continues to build players' skills with more advanced techniques with a focus on tone and sound quality, while continuing to work on basic fundamentals and rhythms to deliver the "language" of the darbuka.  Build your skills with call-and-response exercises and practice drills and soloing concepts, then apply them to a final collaborative arrangement. To further expand your rhythmic palette, we'll also explore distinctive odd-time signatures from Turkey and the Balkans. Please bring your darbuka.  Class is open to intermediate and beginner drummers.  

Register Here

March 24: Sami Salloum at Sisters
8 PM

Sami Salloum is a vocalist whose musical journey is deeply rooted in the rich traditions of Arabic music. Born and raised in Syria, he cultivated his passion for singing early on. He has called New York home for the past seven years; previously he lived in Lebanon, during which time he performed in numerous festivals across Lebanon. He currently performs with the New York Arab Chorus and is a featured singer with Ameer Armaly's band. Sami enjoys singing various genres, including tarab and Arabic classics.

Sami Salloum: Vocals 
Mohammad Salah: Oud 
Sarah Mueller: Violin 
Gideon Forbes: Flute, Nay and Saxophone 
John Murchison: Qanun 
Johnny Farraj: Percussion

details

Presenting Irish Maqam: An intermingling of sound and language from Ireland, North Africa, and the Arab world, suggesting that Irish culture may be shaped as much by Arabia as by Europe.

Ensemble:
Sarah Mueller, violin
Gideon Forbes, nay
David Chorowski, bouzouki
George Crotty, cello
Alber Baseel, percussion

Get Tickets

This month's Brooklyn Maqam Hang at Sisters features Harmal: a progressive Arab and world fusion band based in NYC, formed by oudist and percussionist Michael Joseph Burdi and featuring a rotating cast of some of the best musicians from the NYC Arabic and world music scene. Focusing on original compositions along with traditional repertoire from across the Middle East and North Africa, Harmal interweaves diverse influences ranging from musical traditions of the Levant and North Africa to those of Iran and India. Their performances balance tradition and innovation, creating a fresh yet familiar sound.

As usual, stick around for the jam session/open mic after the set!

Full Details
 

Drawing on his extensive experiences in the jazz and Arabic music worlds, Gideon Forbes' new project, Weaver, showcases music that embraces the rich improvisational and compositional features of these two music traditions. This performance will feature Gideon's original compositions that challenge musical expectations and broaden sonic possibilities, creating a musical synthesis that is both personal and deeply rooted.

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Gideon's background in jazz and Arabic music has made him an in-demand collaborator and freelance artist with ensembles such as The Brooklyn Nomads, Habibi Gün, the New York Arabic Orchestra, Big Beat Big Band, Takht al-Nagham and artists Firas Zreik, Zahra Al-Zubaidi, Brian Prunka, Yara Asmar, Ayman Asfour, Nibal Malshi, Sami Abu Shumays, and many more. His recent projects include Nortonk, which released its eponymous debut album on Biophilia Records in May 2021, and Orchestra Farha, an acoustic-electric ensemble that focuses on 1970's Arabic music from Egypt and around the Arab world.

Special guest Firas Zreik will join the quartet for part of the performance.

Special Guest Firas Zreik, kanun

Gideon Forbes, saxophones, nay

Evan Main, keyboard and piano

Mathias Højgaard Jensen, upright bass

Steven Crammer, drums

Wednesday February 11th, 2026
Barbes - 376 9th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
7pm

Admission $20

Jan. 16 at Drom: 
the Arab Blues 

The Arab Blues returns to New York in celebration of their new album ‘Deserted.’ 

Karim Nagi is an Egyptian native and Rami Gabriel is a Lebanese native – together, as The Arab Blues, they bridge the gap between tradition and innovation, using their Middle Eastern heritage and passions for Chicago’s jazz and blues scene. Gabriel plays guitar, oud and buzuq, while Nagi plays riqq and tublah, at least. The result is an original expression of immigrant artistry with passionate musicality and revolutionary attitude.

Details and Tickets

Jan. 10 at Jalopy Theatre: 
Special double bill of David Chorowski and Syrian Rue

David Chorowski is a multi-instrumentalist Oud player from New York specializing in folk and classical musics from, but not limited to, the Eastern Mediterranean, MENA, and Medieval Europe. His original music reflects a rich musical journey, combining different branches of our collective musical family tree. For this show, he'll be joined by Ayman Asfour (violin) and Alber Baseel (percussion).

Debuting from Brooklyn, Syrian Rue is a band that blends various musical traditions from around the world with jazz chords and progressive rock influences, with Michael Burdi (guitar), David Chorowski (saz ), Iskander Dridi (ney), Matt Sellier (keys), and Kaveh Haghtalab (drums)

Details and Tickets

Jan. 14 at Barbes: 
Dolunay is back!

Since 2012, Dolunay has explored the rich traditions of Turkish music. Rooted in traditional Turkish repertoire and Rumeli songs, the ensemble also presents original compositions that draw inspiration from these enduring forms while standing as distinct works of their own. With Jenny Luna (voice & percussion), Adam Good (oud), Eylem Basaldi (violin), Polly Tapia Ferber (percussion), and Paul Brown (bass)

Details and Tickets

Jan. 16 at Drom: 
the Arab Blues 

The Arab Blues returns to New York in celebration of their new album ‘Deserted.’ 

Karim Nagi is an Egyptian native and Rami Gabriel is a Lebanese native – together, as The Arab Blues, they bridge the gap between tradition and innovation, using their Middle Eastern heritage and passions for Chicago’s jazz and blues scene. Gabriel plays guitar, oud and buzuq, while Nagi plays riqq and tublah, at least. The result is an original expression of immigrant artistry with passionate musicality and revolutionary attitude.

Details and Tickets

Habibi Gün - Scree - Sami Salloum

Wed, Dec 17, 7:30PM Doors

Main Drag, 50 S 1st St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
 

Last event of the year!

Habibi Gün

Habibi Gün showcases the works of revered Arab composers such as Riyad al Sunbati and Mohammed Fawzi alongside Western influences like Ennio Morricone, Link Wray, and that late, great Lebanese-American, Dick Dale. The resulting listening experience is sprawling, evocative, and unique—stark and contemplative one moment, trance-inducing the next.
The current lineup features Josh Farrar on guitar (Spanish Johnny’s Opera, The Foster Family, Bil Afrah Project) Gideon Forbes on woodwinds and reeds (New York Arabic Orchestra, Nortonk, Brooklyn Nomads), bassist James “Sprocket” Royer (Souren Baronian, Taqsim, NYAO), violinist Insia Malik (NYAO, National Arabic Orchestra, Bassam Saba, Simon Shaheen), oudist/guitarist Gabe Lavin (NYAO, Near East Ensemble, Naseer Shamma’s Oud Orchestra), and percussionist Alber Baseel (Simon Shaheen, Ahmad al Khatib)

Scree

Ryan El-Solh (guitar), Carmen Quill (bass) and Jason Burger (drums), began performing together as Scree in 2017. Since then the trio have forged a sound all their own, driven by the wide, mystical arcs of El-Solh’s lush instrumental compositions, which draw on an eclectic range of influences from Ellington to Brahms to Lebanese composer Ziad Rahbani.
 

Sami Salloum

Sami Salloum is a vocalist whose musical journey is deeply rooted in the rich traditions of Arabic music. Born and raised in Syria, he cultivated his passion for singing early on. He has been settled in New York for the past seven years, and before that, he also spent seven years in Lebanon., where he performed in numerous festivals. He currently performs with the New York Arabic Chorus and is a featured singer with Ameer Armaly's band. Sami enjoys singing various genres, including tarab and Arabic classics.
 

$25 (open bar)

Tickets

NY Arabic Chorus - Fall 2025 Concert
December 9th 2025
7pm (6:15pm Doors)
First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn
119-121 Pierrepont Street Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tickets $25 Advance ($30 Door)

Join us for a very special evening of music and culture as we celebrate the culmination of the New York Arabic Chorus' Fall season.  The only group of its kind in NYC, The NY Arabic Chorus showcases the beauty and depth of Arabic music in a harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary sounds. Under the direction of Mona Miari, the choir brings together voices from diverse backgrounds to create an unforgettable experience that bridges cultures and celebrates unity through music.

Full Details
 

Photo: Maria Sakr

Tuesday November 25, 2025 8pm (7:30 Doors)
SISTERS - 900 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY 11238 

Klemer Trio is a Boston-based world-music Trio that blends Persian musical traditions with elements of jazz. The group’s original compositions have evolved through years of collaboration, rehearsal, and shared exploration. Over time, the trio has developed a unique sound shaped by improvisation, cultural exchange, and collective creativity.
At each performance, the trio often features guest drummers or percussionists from diverse musical backgrounds, adding new colors and textures to the music. This dynamic approach allows Klemer Trio to continually expand its palette while staying rooted in its core identity. 

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We continue our monthly series at Barbes this Wednesday, November 12, with Brooklyn-based violinist Insia Malik! 

Insia Malik and seasoned artists in the New York Arabic music scene present a wide-ranging program of music by notable 20th-century and contemporary performer-composers, such as Muhammad ‘Abdu Salih, Marcel Khalife, ‘Abdu Daghir, Riad al-Sunbati, and Ruhi al-Khammash.

Full details and RSVP here