Dearborn native releases her first album as a member of a band

December 22nd, 20210 DEARBORN — Dearborn native Ameera Husein and Ver Novum —the band for which she sings lead — released their first album together on Friday, Dec. 17. Husein, a first-generation American and the daughter of Palestinian and Algerian parents, had been singing independently for about seven years before joining Ver Novum. In 2018,...

Songwriter and singer Leila Milki releases new original song Feb. 22

February 13th, 20190 LOS ANGELES — Leila Milki, a first-generation Lebanese American music artist, will release her new original single and video on Friday Feb. 22. In “All That Remains", 25-year-old Milki collaborates with Brian Steckler and String Mob to bring a string quartet to life. “This project is deeply personal to me,” she said, adding...

Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan makes first visit to Detroit

December 14th, 20180 DETROIT — On Friday, Dec. 7, Lebanese singer Yasmine Hamdan performed a concert at the Detroit Institute of Arts’ Rivera Court, during her first visit to the city. On the previous day, she visited the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn for a viewing of Jim Jarmusch’s film, “Only Lovers Left Alive”, in which she...

Arab festivals are popular everywhere, when will Dearborn’s return?

September 8th, 20183 DEARBORN – Between 1995 and 2012, thousands flocked to the capital of Arab America for a taste of their homeland’s culture, where nostalgia for music and food alike would meet their match at the Arab International Festival. It was a kind of celebration one could only experience in a city in which nearly half its residents are of...

New York Arabic Orchestra hosts summer workshops

July 29th, 20180 NEW YORK — The New York Arabic Orchestra (NYAO) hosts its annual Summer Workshops through the end of August.  The NYAO invites musicians, students and vocalists to learn about Arabic music and improve their skills by participating in its various summer workshops for its ensembles sections I and II, Arabic vocal chorus, and Arabic...

International artists showcase diversity and unity through music

July 6th, 20180 DETROIT — The 26th annual Concert of Colors, Detroit’s diversity festival, begins events on Wednesday, July 11 and runs through Sunday, July 15.  The five day festival is free to the public and held at various venues in Detroit and Dearborn, including the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Arab American National Museum. The...

Mayor’s Arts Awards ceremony takes place April 10

April 6th, 20180 DEARBORN — The 30th annual Mayor’s Arts Awards Ceremony will take place inside studio A at the Ford Community and Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, April 10. The awards, which are open to the public at no charge, are presented by the Dearborn Community Arts Council and the mayor’s office. “The DCAC looks forward to...

Rim Banna and the cultural war that Palestinians must win

April 6th, 20180 Music unites Palestinians when politicians fail. In fact, while for years the collective calls for "Palestinian unity" has gone unheeded, Palestinian music has continued to bring Palestinians closer.   Rim Banna passed away at the age of 51. Her death on March 24, after a decade-long battle with cancer, brought grief to...

Lebanese cleric’s piano playing strikes wrong note for some

March 30th, 20180 BEIRUT — A Muslim cleric has been expelled from his seminary in Lebanon after a video of his piano playing, posted online, drew criticism from conservatives who felt it was undignified behavior for a man of the cloth, he said. Shi'a Muslim Sayed Hussein al-Husseini, 38, a keen pianist and amateur poet, posted the footage to...