Festival Of Arabic Music & Arts Expands 2018 Lineup

The Festival of Arabic Music and Arts (FAMA) and Adonis Group have announced a new event for its 2018 lineup: Small Wonders is a fundraising event showcasing the exceptional young talent nurtured by the Canadian Arabic Conservatory of Music (CACM). Children of all backgrounds ranging in age from 6 to 16 will perform on traditional Arabic instruments such as oud, qanun, and Arabic violin, as well as classical violin, clarinet, guitar, and piano. Small Wonders also features Zaytouna Dabke, a modern Arab folkdance group.

Small Wonders takes place at 6:30 pm on November 5 at the Maja Prentice Theatre, Burnhamthorpe Branch Library, 3650 Dixie Road. Admission is free, and donations will be gratefully accepted towards sponsoring CACM tuition for two or more children. Small Wonders is part of FAMA's ambitious 2018 lineup of music, theatre, exhibitions, and film presented in eleven venues across the GTA from October 26 to November 10. Tickets are now on sale for all FAMA events.

"In the same way that the Canadian Arabic Orchestra began with a small dream that became a big reality, we are proud to have established the Canadian Arabic Conservatory of Music. Our main goal is to provide educational programs that promote interest in the Arabic classical and Western classical music heritage," said Lamees Audeh, Director of the Canadian Arabic Conservatory of Music and co-founder of FAMA with Wafa Al Zaghal.

The 2018 Festival opens on October 26 with the celebrated Lebanese composer and singer Marwan Khoury. Other headliners include the Armenian-Syrian Lena Chammamyan; a concert pairing the legendary Moroccan singer Fouad Zabadi with the acclaimed violinist Mahmoud Srour; and two concerts by the brilliant Dalal Abu Amneh of Nazareth - one with Sufi music and twirling dervishes, the other with a group of female elders from the local community in the GTA singing traditional songs of the Levant.

The Canadian Arabic Orchestra is also featured in three festival concerts: Flamenco Arabia, a Spanish-Arabic fusion performance that blends flamenco dance with traditional Andalusian sounds and contemporary Arabic music; Sounds from Iraq with singer Hassan Tamim; and the festival's grand finale on November 10, a special tribute to Egyptian cultural hero Sayyed Darwish with Lebanese oud master Charbel Rouhana joining the full Canadian Arabic Orchestra and Choir.

In addition to musical offerings, FAMA 2018 includes the award-winning Egyptian film Photocopy; and Al Namrood, a fully-staged, widely toured play written by Sheikh Sultan AL Qasimi of the United Arab Emirates. For more information about the festival, visit canadianarabicorchestra.ca.