The Boston Palestine Film Festival is proud to present AMAL MURKUS: VOICE OF PALESTINE, an evening of Palestinian music from the homeland past, present, and future at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston on March 9, 2019 at 7:30 pm.
Amal Murkus, the featured artist, is appearing with her son, Firas Zreik, who is the Musical Director of the Maqam-Fusion Ensemble that will perform alongside them. Also featured will be the CAC Arabic Children’s Choir.
The program will be a fusion of traditional Palestinian folklore pieces, which Murkus has spent decades researching and reviving, with new original compositions reflecting Palestinian national and cultural identity. Some of the songs’ lyrics are drawn from famous Palestinian poets, including Mahmoud Darwish.
Amal Murkus, a Palestinian from the Galilee, is a leading Palestinian singer and actress who has devoted her career to promoting Palestinian music and culture. She has been deemed “one of the most beautiful voices of the 20th century” and “Fayrouz of Palestine.” Murkus has created and released five albums of songs and performances, all inspired by authentic Arab and Palestinian poetry and tunes, and has performed around the world.
Her extensive vocal range and creative talents enable Murkus to perform in a wide range of genres, from traditional Arab to modern popular western styles. As a result, she has created numerous collaborations with other artists and international musicians.
As early as 1988, she sang together with the American folk singer and activist Joan Baez in an anti-war concert in Tel Aviv, and later appeared with the famous Argentine folk singer Mercedes Sosa and the radical rock star and song writer Robert Wyatt. Numerous collaborations and guest appearances followed.
Murkus also strongly identifies with the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish and in 1999 appeared many times together with Darwish in Nazareth and Kufr Yasif. When Darwish famously came to Haifa in 2007 to recite his poetry in the city’s main concert hall atop Mount Carmel, Murkus moderated this historical event. In 2006, she similarly shared the podium with Palestinian poet Samih al-Qasim in a series of cultural evenings of poetry and songs.
Murkus has toured in Italy, Germany, France, Russia, Spain, Denmark, Bulgaria, Greece, Tunisia, Morocco, Brazil, the UK and other countries and appeared in many international music festivals.
Firas Zreik, the son of Amal Murkus, is a Palestinian kanun (lap harp) player and composer. Currently he’s studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship, double-majoring in jazz composition and performance.
Zreik started playing kanun and studying Arabic music at Beit al-Musica Conservatory in Shafa-Amr at age 11. Before that, he played cello for 3 years and studied western classical music.
Zreik started touring with Murkus within and outside Europe, recording and composing songs for her and serving as an essential part of her band. Currently he’s studying at Berklee College of Music in Boston on a full scholarship, double-majoring in jazz composition and performance.
Beside his own musical projects, Zreik has performed with many great artists, such as Roger Waters, Shreya Goshal, Shankar Mahadevan, Simon Shaheen, Aynur Dogan, Amir Saffar, and more.
He has also performed in some of the most prestigious venues in Europe and the US including Lincoln Center- NYC, Boston Symphony Hall, Institut du Monde Arabe – Paris , Palais des Congrès – Namur, La Bellevilloise – Paris, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Teatro Mediterraneo – Napoli, and many more.
The CAC (Center for Arabic Culture) Arabic Children’s Choir is the first Arab-American choir in Massachusetts.
AMAL MURKUS: VOICE OF PALESTINE
Saturday, March 9, 2019 7:30 pm
Berklee Performance Center
136 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA
Tickets: $30-$60. Student discount available.
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