Crossroads Concerts: Irish & Arab Fusion

Blending compositions drawing from Irish traditional music and Arabic classical music (primarily from Egypt and Syria) this concert features the renowned musicians from the New York-based Zikrayat ensemble, including Sami Abu Shumays (violin, voice), Johnny Farraj (riqq, oud, voice), Nezih Antakli (darbuka, riqq, daf), who are joined by Sean Tierney (flute, tin whistle), Jerry O’Sullivan (Uilleann pipes), and Colin Harte on voice, piano, bodhrán and darbuka.

Shumays founded and leads Zikrayat, New York’s preeminent purveyor of Egyptian music and dance, that specializes in the music of Egypt’s Golden Age of movie musicals from the ‘40s to the ‘60s. Farraj – a Lebanese born musician of Palestinian descent – is the creator of www.MaqamWorld.com the leading Internet reference on Arabic music theory, and a frequent Arabic music blogger. Antakli was born in Germany, the son of Turkish and Syrian immigrants… before moving to New York he lived in the Netherlands, where he studied at the Rotterdam Conservatory, majoring in Latin percussion.

A fixture on the New York Irish music scene, Tierney is from the Bronx, and has toured with Girsa and The Prodigals. O’Sullivan -- a foremost uilleann piper, tin whistle, Highland bagpipe and Scottish small pipe player -- has performed with The Boston Pops, James Galway, Dolly Parton and Eileen Ivers.

Host or Publisher The New York Irish Center