From: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings [smithsonianfolkways_at_si_dot_edu]

Sent: 10 April 2017 14:07

Subject: New Release: Grammy-nominated oud master Rahim AlHaj's powerfully gripping Letters from Iraq

Western and Middle Eastern Traditions Meet on Rahim AlHaj's Letters from Iraq

On Letters from Iraq, master oud player Rahim AlHaj's second album from Smithsonian Folkways (the first was 2006's Grammy-nominated When the Soul is Settled), the artist articulates the love and pain of lives lived by the people of war-torn Iraq. The eight pieces for oud, string quintet, and percussion allow Western and Middle Eastern classical traditions to form a wholly new mode of expression. Actual mailed letters and their stories are transposed into deeply emotional and beautiful programmatic compositions by the Iraqi-American composer and musician.

Purchase the album and be on the lookout for tour dates in your area.

Register for Certificate Courses in World Music Pedagogy

This summer, Smithsonian Folkways is offering four certificate courses in world music pedagogy! Locations include St. Paul, Cheney, Morgantown, and Seattle. These weeklong courses, which draw heavily on Smithsonian Folkways collections, offer teachers active learning experiences in many different musical traditions, including but not limited to Senegalese drumming, gospel, samba, and Latin American steel pan music. Join us today!

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Smithsonian Folkways is part of the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

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