The New York Oud Festival is a multi-day, multi-venue music festival that displays the oud and its versatility as it exists in New York's diverse musical culture. The NYOF celebrates the oud and its wide-ranging influence on global music culture, showcasing artists from a multitude of traditions and contexts, and demonstrating why the oud continues to be one of the world's most beloved instruments. https://www.newyorkoudfestival.com/

New York Oud Festival Day 2 | Zafer Tawil, Gabe Lavin 7pm (6:30 doors) Wednesday April 24th 2024 Barbes - 376 9th St Brooklyn, NY 11215 $25 advance ($30 door)

Day 2 of the festival will feature sets by oudists Zafer Tawil and Gabe Lavin. Seating is limited so first-come first-serve!

Zafer Tawil is an accomplished Palestinian musician and a virtuoso on ‘oud, qanun, violin, and Arab percussion. He performs across the U.S. and in the Middle East with such musicians as Sting as well as celebrated world music artists. He was a featured composer and performer in acclaimed director Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-nominated film “Rachel Getting Married” and is composing and performing for Demme’s next film project, Zeitoun. Zafer is continuously exploring the boundaries of Arab music, and often performs collaborative concerts involving classical Indian and Persian music, as well as Jazz fusion. He has been a guest teacher at workshops on Arab music at many institutions and universities across the United States. A native of Jerusalem, he resides in New York City.

Gabriel (Gabe) Lavin is a musician, scholar, and educator based in Brooklyn. He obtained his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from UCLA in 2023 and has lived and performed extensively throughout the United States and the Arab world, including in Egypt, Oman, Sudan, and Kuwait. He trained at Beit El Oud in Cairo and the Oud Association in Muscat, Oman, studying with renowned performers and composers like Naseer Shamma, Yousif Abbas, Muddathir Abu al-Wafa, Salim al-Maqrashi, Samih Mahjoubi, and Askar Ali Akbar. Gabe has also performed with Ali Jihad Racy's UCLA Near East Ensemble, the Los Angeles Arabic Orchestra, and the New York Arabic Orchestra. His most recent scholarly article explores the early life and career of the influential oudist and educator, Sharif Muhiuddin Haidar (1892-1967).

Gabriel Lavin's performance for the Oud Festival will feature two different regional styles within the Arab world that have shaped his playing the most: the modern Iraqi school founded by Sharif Muhiuddin Haidar (1892-1967) and oud playing throughout the Gulf and Yemen. In addition to playing instrumental versions of songs by Abady al-Johar, Fuad al-Kibsi, and Dahi Bin Walid, Gabe will showcase oud etudes and compositions by Sharif Muhiuddin to honor the centennial of his historic move to New York City, where he lived and performed for nearly a decade between 1924 and 1932 before moving to Baghdad.