FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 10, 2022 • THE QUEENS COURIER 45
Flushing Town Hall’s mini-global mashup
series presents ‘India Meets Egypt’ concert
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
One of Flushing Town Hall’s most popular
series, Common Ground: Mini-Global
Mashups, is returning on Sunday, March
13, at 1 p.m. with a live presentation of “India
Meets Egypt,” as two solo musicians of
diff erent practices and cultural identities
perform together in a unique pairing.
Th e concert blends the music of Indian
singer-songwriter Falu with the Arabic
tunes of violinist, vocalist and rababa
player Sami Abu Shumays. Th ey will be
accompanied by vocalist Gaurav Shah,
who also plays the harmonium.
Acclaimed trumpeter and composer
Frank London of Th e Klezmatics, who
has performed in Flushing Town Hall’s
original, large-scale global mashups series,
is the curator for the 2022 season of mini
mashups.
“In ancient times, India and Egypt
were connected along the Maritime Silk
Road, learning from and infl uencing each
other’s cultures. Today, India and Egypt
are strongly represented in Queens,” said
Flushing Town Hall Executive and Artistic
Director Ellen Kodadek. “We’re excited to
mash up and explore these two rich and
vibrant cultures through music, and also
showcase the incredible talents of our very
own Deputy Director Sami Abu Shumays.”
Falu is a two-time Grammy-nominated
artist for her children’s albums “Falu’s
Bazaar” and “A Colorful World.” She is
internationally recognized for her rare
ability to seamlessly blend a modern, inventive
style with a formidable vocal talent
shaped by Indian classical tradition. Born
in Mumbai and now a New York resident,
her career in the United States has included
a series of brilliant and high-profi le collaborations
with Yo-Yo Ma, Wyclef Jean,
Philip Glass, Ricky Martin, Blues Traveler
and A. R. Rahman, among others.
Shah has a passion for Indian classical
music and has toured extensively with
his wife Falu including performances at
Carnegie Hall and on National Geographic
TV, and was a featured songwriter in the
Smithsonian.
When not performing on stage, the Harvard
graduate serves as CEO and president
of Rocket Pharma, a biotechnology company
focused on developing fi rst-in-class
gene therapy options for rare, devastating
diseases. Shah and Falu are the proud
parents of an 8-year-old son, who had his
debut at Carnegie Hall at the age of 5.
Shumays is an Arabic violinist, vocalist
and rababa player, co-founder and musical
director of the Arab music and dance
ensemble Zikrayat (the name means
“memories” in Arabic).
Inspired by the “Golden Age” of Egyptian
Cinema (the 1940s-60s), the group
presents exciting dance numbers alongside
classical Tarab repertory. Shumays is also
a teacher and scholar of Arabic music and
maqam, the system of melodic modes
used in traditional Arabic music, which is
mainly melodic. His fi eld of expertise is
in the Egyptian and Syrian music traditions,
and he co-authored the book “Inside
Arabic Music: Arabic Maqam Performance
and Th eory in the 20th Century,” which is a
landmark piece of literature for students of
Arabic music and essential for anyone who
wants to learn more about Arabic music.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sami
is a second-generation Palestinian-American
immigrant, who studied Western classical
music, piano, violin and composition as
a boy, and as an undergraduate at Harvard
University. Shumays also happens to serve
as deputy director of Flushing Town Hall.
“I am overjoyed to be sharing a stage
with the talented Falu,” said Shumays, who
will be playing the second set of the Global
Mashup on the same stage that aft ernoon.
“She and I have been friends for years, and
she occasionally invites me to perform
with her even though I play a totally different
kind of music. Falu is an incredibly
generous collaborator, and every time I get
the chance to work with her we both learn
something new.”
Th e mini-global mashup performance
will be followed by a Q&A conversation
between the artists and audience.
In-person tickets are $15 for nonmembers
and $12 for members. Th ose unable to
attend in person can view the livestream
for free on Flushing Town Hall’s YouTube
page. Donations are encouraged. For the
mini-global mashup series’ full schedule
and to purchase tickets, click here, or call
718-463-7700 ext. 222.
Photo courtesy of Flushing Town Hall
Indian singer-songwriter Falu (l.) and Arabic violinist and vocalist Sami Abu Shumays will perform at
Flushing Town Hall’s Global Mini-Mashup Series on Sunday, March 13.
MoMI to host Marvels of Media Awards honoring creators with autism
BY ESTHER WICKHAM
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Th e Museum of the Moving Image
(MoMI) is launching the Marvels of Media
Awards to celebrate creators with autism
starting on March 31.
“We are looking for uniquely talented people
who have tapped into their creativity and interests
to create extraordinary media art,” said
Carl Goodman, MoMI’s executive director.
Th is will be the country’s fi rst-ever media
awards ceremony and fi lm festival that
showcases the work of autistic creatives
across the world. Vice-Chairman of AMC
Networks Josh Sapan will lead the event.
“In recent years, media-makers on the
autism spectrum have made many pioneering
contributions to the fi elds of television,
media and game design,” Sapan said. “As
someone who has had a personal experience
with neurodiversity in my own family and
with some of the most creative makers and
leaders I have worked within my business
life, I look forward to honoring these notable
stories and achievements, both with an
awards ceremony and an exhibit produced
to MoMI’s always fi rst-class standards.”
For those that have been selected, a panel
will review the works. Panelists will include
President of the Jim Henson Foundation
Cheryl Henson; Academy Award-winning
producer Brian Grazer; screenwriter/fi lmmaker
Tony Spiridakis and more.
Th roughout April, the festival will be
open to the public for no cost, displaying
the honorees’ works and representing creators
from diff erent backgrounds.
“If you know someone on the autism spectrum
who has made innovative contributions
to the media arts, whether they are a student,
new to the fi eld, or a seasoned expert, please
consider nominating them for this groundbreaking
new project to recognize the artistry
of autistic media-makers,” Goodman said.
For more information, visit
movingimage.us. Photo via Google Maps
buzz
/movingimage.us
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
