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…

With his vocals set to the accompaniment of clarinet ud kanun darbuka enthusiastic hand-clapping and a trio of deep-voiced female singers Kemani Cemal born Kemani Cemal Cinarli has helped to preserve the musical traditions of the Rom gypsies of Turke…

Mohamed Mounir has been called the best Arab singer of the twentieth century Although he began his career as an Arabic performer scoring with his somber hit Ellayla Ya Samra Mounir has increasingly focused on original compositions based on the Nubian…

Hossein Alizadeh is one of Irans leading classical composers and musicians A virtuosic player of the six-stringed Persian tar four-stringed Persian sehtar and eleven-stringed Azeri tar Alizadeh has continued to extend the musical traditions of his ho…

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 …

This all-male Eastern Georgian ensemble specializes in table songs -- not songs about tables but sung at tables at holidays feasts marriages births deaths and other special events With their beautiful polyphonic vocals and strong harmonies they evoke…

Iraqi-born Kazem Al-Saher has established himself as the biggest singer in the Middle East having sold more than 30 million albums since the start of his career Ranging from big romantic ballads to more political work from pop to Arab classical hes c…

When Chava Alberstein b circa 1946 was only four years old her parents moved from their hometown of Szczecin Poland to Israel since then Alberstein has become CBS Israels longest-tenured artist with nearly fifty albums to her credit many performed in…

Born in 1955 Mahmoud Fadl began his musical career not playing but as a limbo dancer in Egypt at wedding celebrations -- both Egyptian and Nubian -- the culture that was his but which had been lost as families were evacuated for the building of dams …

A superstar in Europe and in his homeland of Turkey dance-pop composer Tarkan mixes modern beats with Middle Eastern melodies and arrangements Though he had been a fixture in the Turkish dance scene for a few years his 1999 single Simarik made him an…

Badawi was born Raz Mesinai in 1973 in Jerusalem By spending a lot of time with Bedouins in the Sinai desert as a youngster he picked up on their unique musical style When he reached the age of seven he was taken under the wing of dervish sheik Mursh…