Dialogue in Three Movements: An Artistic Journey of Israel/Palestine in Celebration of International Day of Peace
September 22, 2019 @ 7:30 pm-10:00 pm
| FreeARTolerance @ Swarthmore Present: Dialogue in Three Movements
An Artistic Journey of Israel/Palestine in celebration of International Day of Peace
ARTolerance will celebrate the International Day of Peace with an evening of music, spoken word, visuals, and more from Israeli & Palestinian cultures. We hope to introduce aspirations through cultural expressions and provide bridges towards impactful dialogues.
Palestinian & Israeli narratives will be shared, understanding that they express varying perspectives. We would like to encourage conversations across religions and nationalities, leading to impactful dialogues addressing issues of freedom, justice, and peace.
Featuring Poet Nathalie Handal, Singer/Songwriter Tammy Scheffer, Singer/Songwriter Fouad Dakwar, Cellist Udi Bar-David, Percussionist and Oud player Zafer Tawil and Pianist Shira Samuels- Shragg.
In collaboration with Swarthmore College’s Department of Music and Dance and Peace and Conflict Studies Program.
About the Artists:
Udi Bar-David
Udi Bar-David is widely considered one of the most versatile cellists in the world, performing on international stages with both classical and ethnic musicians. Udi studied in Tel-Aviv, with Leonard Rose at the Juilliard School, and Orchestral Conducting at Curtis Institute of Music.
Udi won the International Villa Lobos Competition in Brazil, and appeared as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Jerusalem Symphony and Philly Pops. He was featured on the TODAY show, and was represented by Astral Artistic Services and the Center for Jewish Culture and Creativity. He has served as principal cellist with many orchestras, and has been a member of the Philadelphia Orchestra since the late 1980s.
As a chamber musician, Udi has collaborated with Christoph Eschenbach, Leon Fleisher, Jaime Laredo, Rudolph Buchbinder, Emanuel Ax and others. As Founder and Artistic Director of Intercultural Journeys, he produced numerous events world-wide. Udi has recently created Artolerance – an important new effort to expand the crucial role music and the arts play in fostering understanding and tolerance.
Udi has toured the US, Europe, Palestine, Israel, Cuba and Asia, with world-renowned artists, including Jie Bing Chen, Nawang Khechog, Hanna Khoury, Wu Man, Diane Monroe, R. Carlos Nakai, Mandy Patinkin, and Simon Shaheen.
Tammy Scheffer
Vocalist and composer Tammy Scheffer has been a creative force in NYC’s vibrant music scenefor the past decade. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as “innovative, provocative and alluring”,Scheffer lends her voice to ensembles that range from progressive rockto jazz, from improvisedmusic to modern classical music. Most recently she released new albums with Stefan Bauer’sVoyage West and Amanda Monaco’s Pirkei Avot and performed in Joe Phillips’ premier of theGrey Land. Scheffer performed at Carnegie Hall and the Jazz Standard in NYC, Kimmel Centerin Philadelphia, Revoice Festival in London, MISA festival in China, San Sebastian Jazz Festivalin Spain, Kennedy Center Millennium Stage in Washington DC, Chicago Cultural Center,Virginia Arts Festival and manyother premier stages.
Nathalie Handal
Nathalie Handal is the author of seven collections of poetry, eight plays, editor of two anthologies and her nonfiction pieces have appeared in Vanity Fair, Guernica Magazine, The Guardian, The New York Times, The Nation, The Irish Times, among others. Claire Messud writes, “A contemporary Orpheus, she hymns our most urgent and ineffable truths.” Her most recent recent books include Life in a Country Album (2019) of which Tracy K. Smith writes, “the desire and longing running through these poems reaches me via the collection’s many voices and cityscapes, and—most poignantly—via the borders between bodies, nations and hearts”; the flash collection The Republics, lauded as “one of the most inventive books by one of today’s most diverse writers” and winner of the Virginia Faulkner Award for Excellence in Writing and the Arab American Book Award; the critically acclaimed Poet in Andalucía; and Love and Strange Horses, winner of the Gold Medal Independent Publisher Book Award, which The New York Times said is “a book that trembles with belonging (and longing).” She is a Lannan Foundation Fellow, Pen International Croatia Fellow, Centro Andaluz de las Letras Fellow, Fondazione di Venezia Fellow, winner of the Alejo Zuloaga Order in Literature, the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Book Award, among other honors. She is a professor at Columbia University and writes the literary travel column “The City and the Writer” for World Without Borders.
Zafer Tawil
Jerusalem-born Tawil is an accomplished Palestinian musician whose areas of expertise include the oud, violin, qanun, and Arab percussion. Zafer performs across the US and in the Middle East and holds workshops in oud technique and Arabic music theory. He was part of the Spirit of Fez U.S. Tour 2006 and has performed with some of the most celebrated world music artists, including violinist and oud master Simon Shaheen and Rai singer Cheb Mami. Zafer is continuously exploring the boundaries of Arab music, and has worked collaboratively on many concerts involving classical Indian and Persian music, as well as Jazz fusion. You can catch Zafer playing one of his many instruments at extravagant private celebrations near his Brooklyn neighborhood, and at cultural centers such as Alwan for the Arts in Manhattan.
Fouad Dakwar
Fouad Dakwar is a singer/songwriter based in New York City. Self-produced, his distinct lyrical pop-rock sound is his preferred medium for storytelling and revolution. Along with releasing two EPs and a full- length album, he has written almost ten musical theater pieces and composed music for six plays.
Shira Samuels-Shragg
Shira Samuels-Shragg is a senior at Swarthmore College, where she is majoring in music
with a focus on conducting, and minoring in German. As a pianist, Shira has performed as a soloist and toured as a chamber musician with Junior Chamber Music of Los Angeles and Young Musicians Foundation. She currently studies piano with Marcantonio Barone, and is the pianist of the Three Twin Trio, which has performed music ranging from works by Brahms to Arensky to Turina. As a conductor, Shira was selected to be one of two inaugural conducting apprentices with Carnegie Hall’s National Youth Orchestra of the USA. At Swarthmore, Shira is the conductor of the Lab Orchestra and assistant conductor of the Swarthmore College Orchestra. Highlights from her past projects include conducting Philadelphia Orchestra Concertmaster, David Kim, as soloist with the Lab Orchestra and music directing the Theater Department’s production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. At summer festivals, Shira has studied with renowned conductors such as David Effron and Miguel Harth-Bedoya.
When not in a practice room, Shira loves taking ballet and modern dance classes and cooking Shabbat dinner with friends.