Tons of music this month! All month we are sponsoring the New York Oud Festival, check our calendar or the full schedule here: www.newyorkoudfestival.com
Wednesday, May 13: New York Oud Festival Day 1 - Albert Agha!
We are thrilled to have Dr. Albert Agha performing for the first time at the NY Oud Fest! He will be at Barbès this Wednesday at 7 PM. More than just a fantastic oud player and singer, Albert Nasser Agha is an ethnomusicologist, music educator, and director. He is an accomplished interpreter of the classical Arab repertoire - this program will bring together classical Arab repertoire, featuring works from Egyptian and Syrian traditions, alongside original compositions rooted in classical forms, performed through voice and oud. It includes the premiere of a new instrumental work that explores musical bridges between the Middle East and Southeast Asia, emerging from Agha’s research into the integration of modal systems across cultural traditions.
Albert Nasser Agha- Oud & Vocals
Insia Malik- Violin
Gabe Lavin- Buzuq
Alber Baseel - percussion
Thursday, May 14: New York Oud Festival Day 2 - Bilen Işıktaş and Gabriel Lavin at the Metropolitan Museum of Art!
Immerse yourself in the oud with a performance by Gabriel Lavin and Bilen Işıktaş followed by a discussion and Q & A. Be inspired by the oud, its musical history, and its artistic connections to The MET collection.
Free with Museum admission; admission is pay what you wish for New York state residents, and free for children under 12 with an adult, and a caregiver accompanying a visitor with a disability. Note: Space is limited; first come, first served.
Dr. Bilen Işıktaş is a scholar-artist and Professor of Musicology at Istanbul University State Conservatory, currently a Visiting Scholar at Harvard University’s Department of Music. His work integrates performance, historical research, and the sociology of music, with a focus on Turkish and Ottoman musical traditions and their contemporary reinterpretation.
Gabriel Lavin, Ph.D., is a musician, scholar, and educator based in Brooklyn, NY. His research on cultural history, media, and music has been published in a variety of international volumes and academic journals. A graduate of Beit Al Oud in Abu Dhabi, he is a specialist in modern oud playing and education in addition to oud playing styles from the Arabian Peninsula. He currently serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Music at Columbia University.
Tuesday May 19: Group Maqam Singing Classes: Arabic Music for All
Sami Abu Shumays is back with another round of his popular maqam classes! Each month's class will focus on a different maqam:
May 19th: Maqam Hijazkar
June 16th: Maqam Bayati Shuri
July 14th: Maqam Huzam
There is a package discount if you register for all three classes. Need financial assistance? Please fill out our scholarship form
Friday, May 22: NY Arabic Chorus - Spring 2026 Concert
NY Arabic Chorus - Spring 2026 Concert
May 22nd 2026
7pm (6:15pm Doors)
First Unitarian Congregational Society in Brooklyn
119-121 Pierrepont Street Brooklyn, NY 11201
Tickets $25 Advance ($30 Door)
Join us for a very special evening of music and culture as we celebrate the culmination of the New York Arabic Chorus' Spring season. The only group of its kind in NYC, The NY Arabic Chorus enters it's second year of showcasing the beauty and depth of Arabic music in a harmonious blend of traditional and contemporary sounds. Under the direction of Mona Miari, the choir brings together voices from diverse backgrounds to create an unforgettable experience that bridges cultures and celebrates unity through music.
