Simon Shaheen has established himself as a virtuoso on not one but two instruments -- the violin and the oud a Middle Eastern precursor of the lute In addition to being a master player hes also a renowned composer of Arabic and Western music and a te…

The role of the Arabic lute-like stringed instrument the oud has been revolutionalized through the playing of Anouar Brahem While used in the past to accompany vocalists the oud is used by Brahem as an imaginative solo instrument In 1988 Tunisian new…

The vocal group Anonymous 4 formed in 1986 originally comprising Johanna Maria Rose Susan Hellauer Ruth Cunningham and Marsha Genensky So named in honor of the designation given by musicologists to the unknown 13th-century Parisian student whose writ…

An accomplished multi-instrumentalist Racy has done much to promote an appreciation for Middle Eastern music in the West Born in Lebanon Racy came to the US in 1968 where he earned his Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Illinois bef…

Known as the blind master of the oud or ud the 12-string fretless lute Udi Hrant birth name Hrant Kenkulian his adopted nickname of Udi denotes his mastery is a legendary figure of Middle Eastern music Perhaps the instruments greatest modern stylist …

Andrea Bocelli has been called the fourth tenor A disciple of Luciano Pavarotti and Zucchero Fornaciari the blind Tuscany-born vocalist has emerged as one of the most exciting voices in contemporary opera His participation in Pavarottis 1992 hit Mise…