The Musicians

Dr. A. J. Racy - Advisor  --  Lebanon  --  nai, buzuk, rebab

Professor Racy is one of the world's foremost experts on Arab music, credited with studying and documenting numerous musical traditions throughout the Arab world. An accomplished performer, composer, and ethnomusicologist, he has inspired a generation of students and artists in this country and abroad. Racy was born in Lebanon and is credited with over 75 publications. At UCLA, Racy teaches seminars on the musical cultures of the Middle East and is the director of the Near East Music Ensemble. He has performed music for television, feature and documentary films, including his work for PBS in the ten-part series The Arabs.

Mashid Mirzadeh  --  Iran  --  santur, tombek

Mahshid has spent much of the last 29 years mastering the santur and Persian Classical Music. A virtuosa on santur, she is one of the finest Persian santur players living in the West. She entered the Royal National Music Conservatory of Tehran at the age, where she continued her studies in Persian traditional music and embarked on an apprenticeship in Western classical music. She began her musical studies with Master Mrs. Arfa Atraei and continued her studies with one of the greatest santur players in Iran, Grand Master Framarz Payevar. Mashid came to the United States in 1989 where she founded Nava Ensemble. Along with several colleagues, she also founded the Lian Ensemble.

www.LianEnsemble.com

John Bilezikjian  --  Armenian/America  --  oud, violin, vocals

John is considered to be "America's Oud Virtuoso." He is a master oudist who has elevated this instrument to the concert stage ands continues to perform as a folk musician. He has performed for some 46 years on this ancient eleven stringed Arabic, Turkish and Persian fretless instrument dating back some 2,000 years. John has given command performances for the King and Queen of Spain and for Mrs. Anwar Sadat of Egypt. John has made over 25 CDs and has appeared with The Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, The Pacific Palisades Symphony and with the venerable Boston Pops Orchestra. He has recorded music for over 50 TV and feature film soundtracks, including such hits as Alladin, Anastia,Prince of Egypt and Syriana.

www.dantzrecords.com

Souhail Kaspar  --  Lebanon  --  darabuka, def, zils, hand percussion

Souhail Kaspar is a master percussionist, known worldwide for his brilliant technique, exciting performances and teaching skills. He was born in Lebanon and trained at Nadi al-Fonun al-Arabia, Conservatory of Traditional Arabic Music in Aleppo, Syria, where he received a Degree in Classical Arabic Performance. He has traveled extensively during his 34-year career and has performed with artists such as Sting, Kenny Burrell, and with Arabic superstars such as Sabah, Feiruz, Cheb Mami, George Wassouf, Ragheb Alama, Kathem al-Saher, and Faiza Ahmed. His recording credits for movie soundtracks include The Prince of Egypt andSinbad.

www.neareastmusic.com

Houman Pourmehdi  --  Iran  --  tombek, def, ney, setar, dayereh

Born in Iran, Houman Pourmehdi is a master percussionist well known for his diverse abilities as a musician, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He was introduced to Persian music by his father and received his first drum at the age of three from his grandfather. He studied drumming under the guidance of the late Grand Master Amir Nasser Eftetah in Iran. He continued his studies at the Center for Preservation and Propagation of National Music. His interest in the spiritual path of Sufis introduced him to the Ghaderi Sufi order's virtuoso Daf players, such as Haj Agha Sadeghi, Mirza Agha Ghosi, and Darvish Karim. Pourmehdi moved to Chicago in 1988, where he founded the society for the Advancement and Preservation of Traditional Persian Music; Houman can be heard on film soundtracks such as The Hulk, Young Black Stallion, (DISNEY) and Troy.

www.LianEnsemble.com

John Zeretzke - Director  --  United States  --  violin, kemence'

John Zeretzke has written numerous orchestral, ballet and dance scores for such companies as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Diavolo, The Royal Danish ballet and many other international dance companies. Awards for his work range from the Lester

Horton Dance Award for outstanding achievement in music for dance in Los Angeles, to first place in the Festival des Arts de Saint-Sauveur International Composing Competition for Dance in Quebec, Canada. In 2000, Zeretzke was an honored recipient of the P.A.S.A. Award, Professional Artist Service Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in the schools in California. Zeretzke's film credits include World Music based scores for Paramount Pictures, Disney, Discovery Channel and recently for Robert Altman's docu-drama The Company. John was formerly music director of the AMAN Folk Ensemble, he continues his work with children with cancer nationwide through The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society and The Ronald McDonald House.

www.zworldmusic.com