On U.S.-Europe Tour, New York Arabic Orchestra Performs for Arab American National Museum's 9th Annual Gala

posted on: Aug 14, 2012

It’s the type of musical opportunity that comes around just once in a lifetime: a passionate Arabic orchestra, with a pair of stellar guest vocalists from Lebanon, performing beloved traditional songs at southeast Michigan’s most historic venue.

The New York Arabic Orchestra – America’s leading orchestra devoted to Arabic classical and contemporary music – makes its first full-ensemble appearance in southeast Michigan on Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, in an elegant annual gala fundraiser for the Arab American National Museum. The performance takes place in Orchestra Hall, home of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and part of the Max M. Music Center complex in Midtown Detroit.

The NYAO is a culturally diverse group of musicians who come together around a common passion: Arabic music. Guest vocalists for the evening are classically trained lyric soprano Ghada Ghanem from Lebanon and Naji Youssef, a Lebanese jabali tenor in the style of Wadi’ Assafi. The orchestra is in the midst of a tour that has taken them to venues throughout Europe and the United States.

The program for the Detroit concert will be announced next month; it will include many favorite traditional melodies by artists who are beloved in the Arab World.

The gala concert takes place Saturday, Oct. 27, 2012, at Max M. Fisher Music Center, 3711 Woodward Ave., Detroit, Mich., 48126. Concert-only tickets, $50-$150, may be purchased online at www.arabamericanmuseum.org. Patron tickets, $250; and Benefactor tickets, $500, may be purchased online at www.arabamericanmuseum.org or by calling 313.842.4748. A portion of the purchase price is tax deductible; see Museum website for details.