Fourth Annual Middle Eastern Festival
Flamenco Today: A Journey Through Andalusia
Part of the Signature Series at Berklee, the fourth annual Middle Eastern Festival is an event that joins artists from the Middle East, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean with students from other parts of the world to perform traditional and inspiring music from their homelands. Fifty students—representing Greece, Montenegro, Serbia, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Russia, Spain, India, Brazil, and South Korea, among other parts of the world—take part in the festival.
In this edition, assistant professor and festival founder Christiane Karam joined forces with Javier Limón, artistic director of the Mediterranean Music Institute and a multiple Grammy and Latin Grammy–winning producer and composer, to present a flamenco-themed festival.
Titled Flamenco Today: A Journey Through Andalusia, the event highlighted flamenco music from its Andalusian roots to current expressions and explored the connections between flamenco, Arabic, Mediterranean, and Balkan music. The program also reflected the journey Gypsies took from India to the Mediterranean.
It event included performances by Berklee's flamenco and Balkan vocal ensembles—both primarily women's choruses—and the Middle Eastern Fusion Ensemble, featuring student and alumni instrumentalists with appearances by internationally acclaimed flamenco artists Pepe de Lucía and Genára Cortes.
The program included traditional and contemporary pieces, original arrangements created by the ensemble, and classics by flamenco masters Paco de Lucia and Pepe De Lucia—and a special focus on the music of Enrique Morente, who is known for creatively blending flamenco with other styles.
Watch footage from the Middle Eastern Festival:
Watch a clip from the rehearsal:
Watch the full concert: