Description
Mehrnam Rastegari
Mehrnam Rastegari is a prominent Persian musician, film score composer, singer, violinist, and master Kamancheh player. She has been featured in some of the most prestigious music festivals worldwide, including GlobalFest in NYC, USA, and more!. Furthermore she’s been featured in numerous concerts across The United States, Germany, Switzerland, France, Iran, and more.
Rastegari is an extraordinary Kamancheh performer, acclaimed by some of the finest Kamancheh artists and instructors globally, who have certified her as a Master Kamancheh player. She is a GMW alumna and a recording artist for the “World Music Institute,” contributing to their multiple projects, including music performances, WMI Plus interviews, and podcasts. She was a featured guest speaker at the TEDx event “Oasis: Existence in Nothingness.”
Furthermore, she has composed for over 10 feature films, theaters, and award-winning short films. Notably, “Dispirited” earned her the “Best Original Score” award from the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards (MCIFA), and she received a nomination for the original score in the Japan Kadoma Festival for the film “Rotten.” She also contributed as a violin player to the recording of the music track “Mirage” for “Assassin’s Creed.”
Rastegari is the founder of “Mehrnam Rastegari Traditional Persian Band” in New York City, where she continues to perform. She has also invited a trio to collaborate, creating and performing rock/fusion/Middle Eastern music, which has garnered success.
Firas Zreik
Artist-composer, lyricist and educator Firas Zreik has performed and recorded across the world as a leader and highly sought collaborator since 2013. A sonic revolutionary, the Palestine-born New Yorker has transformed global perception of the Kanun. His treatment of the instrument preserves its identity as a vital part of the Maqam tradition, and stretches its potential as a cultural chameleon enhancing a range of fresh, evolving sounds. He views the Maqam’s improvisation-driven legacy as a vessel for unbound creative expression across musical styles.
Zreik’s music is honest and authentic. His nuanced approach translates the kanun’s resonant depth of emotion, with a mastery of microtonal soundscaping. Comfortable in both heavily orchestrated and spontaneous settings, he creates waves of layered expression and lyricism among his fellow artists. Over the years, he has collaborated with a cross section of leaders, including Roger Waters, G.E. Smith, Residente, Simon Shaheen, Amir ElSaffar, Fabrizio Cassol, Marwan Khoury, Abeer Nehmeh, Elias Karam, Walid Tawfik, Mohammed Mohsen, Shreya Goshal, Shankar Mahadevan, Aynur Dogan, and his internationally-renowned mother and frequent artistic partner Amal Murkus, for whom he serves as musical director.
Following the release of his two singles “Lullaby for Nature” (Levantine Music) and “Sentiments of Emptiness” (Universal Music Group), in 2020, during the pandemic lockdown, Zreik issued his debut EP Solo (Levantine Music), featuring a shimmering, contemplative set of kanun music. In fall 2022, the young artist is poised to release his first full-length recording of original music featuring his 8-piece band.
Before leaving Boston for New York in 2020, Zreik received his Bachelor of Arts in Music from Berklee College of Music — where he received a full presidential scholarship — completing a double major in Performance and Jazz Composition and appearing on the Dean’s List eight times. He has received global recognition for his artistry as a member of the Medinea Network and participant in the 2013 Beit Al-Musica Guildhall Exchange program in London and the Intercultural Session in both Aix En Provence and Sardinia, Italy in 2017 and 2019, respectively. In 2019, Zreik received coveted placement at the Blue Mountain Center Residency where he served as Artist-in-Residence. Recently, Zreik was chosen as the sole musician for inclusion on the Arab America Foundation’s 30 Under 30 list. In 2020, “Lullaby for Nature” received praise from Makan Radio as Instrumental Piece of the Year.
New York Gypsy All-Stars
Comprised of classically-trained virtuosi coming from the world’s most prestigious music conservatories, the New York Gypsy All-Stars feel equally at home in traditional concert halls, jazz clubs and on festival stages. The quintet of musicians are celebrated for their sophisticated and high-octane mix of music ranging from swinging salsa to pulsing bhangra which never loses its sharp musical focus and astounding technical abilities embodying the true spirit of their Gypsy namesakes.
With their unique blend of virtuosity and showmanship, the New York Gypsy All-stars perform everything from traditional world music to their own compositions and arrangements which highlight their diverse cultural backgrounds. Performing together in what can only be described as chamber music making of the highest order, the group has performed hundreds of concerts in presentations as varied as their genre-bending artistry.
The New York Gypsy All-Stars appear regularly in North and South America, Asia, Australia and throughout Europe at the invitation of prestigious concert halls and festivals such as Daniel Barenboim’s new Boulez Saal in Berlin, Konzerthaus Dortmund, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, Odeon Ankara, Balkan Trafik Festival Brussels, Music Meeting Nijmegen, Masala Weltbeat Festival Hannover, Sommer in Lesmona, and many more.
The All-Stars also appear with symphony orchestras and made their symphonic debut with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, one of Europe’s leading orchestras. Since then, a significant part of their touring calendar is on the concert stage with symphony orchestras all around the world.