QUDUD FLAMENCO

Date: Fri, Nov 09, 2018 08:30PM
Price: $50, $45 Friends, $37.50 students and seniors
Duende Festival Packages:
Save 15% if you purchase tickets to three or four performances
Save 20% if you purchase tickets to all five performances
50% parking discount available if you purchase tickets to three or more performances

Includes same-day Museum admission; gallery hours extended

The Aga Khan Museum is pleased to present the world premiere performance of Qudud Flamenco, in collaboration with the Festival du Monde Arabe de Montréal. Don’t miss this remarkable fusion of flamenco and the traditional qudud of Aleppo — a classical music form that made its way from Syria to Andalusia.

This original work is written by Spanish guitarist and composer Carlos Piñana, one of the 21st century’s most sought-after flamenco artists. Syrian singer Ahmad Azrak and award-winning flamenco singer Celia Romero offer their acclaimed, soul-stirring voices. 

A whirling dervish performance from Rumi Canada’s Farzad AttarJafari, and a flamenco dance performance from Montreal's Rosanne Dion will round out this one-of-a-kind collaboration, part of our 4th annual Duende: Flamenco Festival.

Flamenco is an art form built on three Abrahamic faiths and the musical expressions of three continents – at first glance, these traditions and contexts seems disparate and irreconcilable. But flamenco is the ultimate example of what happens when artists look beyond limitations imposed by the outside world. The dance form continues to evolve and is shaped by scenes across the planet, as you will experience during the performances and film screening at our fourth annual Duende: Flamenco Festival: Artists demonstrating what awaits on “The Other Side of Fear.”

Bios:

Carlos Piñana is a member of a great flamenco family: The grandson of Antonio Piñana, patriarch of the “cantes mineros” and son of the well-known guitarist Antonio Piñana. The young Piñana studied classical guitar at the Music Conservatory of Cartagena and is the recipient of numerous awards including the National “Ramon Montoya” Award at the Cordoba Art Flamenco Festival and First Prize at the Calasparra National Festival of Young Flamencos. He has released seven albums as a soloist including Cal-libiri (1999), Body & Soul (2013), and De la raíz al alma (2015).

Ahmad Azrak is an internationally acclaimed singer hailing from Aleppo. His stirring voice is known for its sensitive, yet powerful timbre. He moves between maqamats, adwars, and sacred rituals with grace and presence, allowing him to share Aleppo’s heritage with the world. He is a founder of the Sultans of Tarab ensemble, who revive classical Middle-Eastern chants. Ahmad has performed in several festivals around the world, including in Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, U.A.E, Japan, Canada, and the USA.