Internationally Acclaimed THE IDAN RAICHEL PROJECT Debuts at the Merriam Theater w New Work Quarter to Six, Oct. 24

Internationally renowned The Idan Raichel Project brings North American Tour to Philadelphia with debut performance at the Merriam Theater on Thursday October 24 at 8 p.m. Led by Israeli singer-songwriter, producer and musician Idan Raichel, the triple platinum-selling ensemble performs Middle Eastern music on a global scale, infusing traditional Hebrew with African, Latin American, and Caribbean influences and keyboard electronics for a contemporary sound. The Philadelphia performance includes cross-cultural hits such as "Mi'Ma'amakim," and "Bo'ee," as well as new songs from their recent 2013 album release, Quarter to Six.

Over the years, the touring band has helped make stars of Cabra Casey, a singer of Ethiopian heritage who was born in a refugee camp in Sudan as her family made the difficult journey to Israel, Ravid Kahalani, whose band Yemen Blues explores his Yemenite roots, and drummer Gilad Shmueli, a respected producer of many popular Israeli artists who has played an essential role in the development of The Project since the beginning.

Tickets are available for $30 to $60, and can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at kimmelcenter.org, at the KimMel Center box office, Broad & Spruce streets (open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.).

The Idan Raichel Project's latest album, Quarter to Six (June 2013), reflects on how to find peace at the end of life. Raichel has described it as a metaphor for a crossroads within his own life - a time where he felt his Project had reached a period of change, reflection and transition. Musically, the record is more acoustic than his previous ventures with multicultural guest appearances by Portuguese fado star Ana Moura, Palestinian-Israeli singer Mira Awad, German counter-tenor Andreas Scholl, Colombia's Marta Gómez, Vieux Farka Touré and a selection of some of Israel's top up-and-coming singers and musicians.

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