Liverpool Arab Arts Festival (LAAF) will be teaming up with new media partner Radio Beirut for this year’s festival.
Radio Beirut, which focusses on the eclectic underground music scene of the Middle East, will be broadcasting several events from the festival in June through their online radio platform www.radiobeirut.net.
Its founder Jihad Samhat, said: “We’ll also be holding a special concert happening in parallel with The Liverpool Arab Arts Festival which will be broadcast around the world, live from Radio Beirut; making a direct connection between Liverpool and Beirut”
The partnership comes in a year where the festival can boast an attractive line-up of musical events, including an anticipated performance by female Arabian Flamenco jazz singer Farah Siraj and two family events, The Big Saturday and Family Day feature a big line-up of music and performances including DJ Pharaoh, Simona Abdallah, Attab Haddad, Karama and The Al Awadhel Band.
Farah Siraj, a music superstar in the Arab world and many European countries, visits LAAF in what is her only UK show this year, in the Concert Room of Liverpool’s St George’s Hall on Sunday 8 June as she brings to the city an eclectic mix of Middle Eastern music, flamenco, jazz, bossa and pop, with lyrics in Arabic, Spanish and English.
Spanning a musical career between USA, Europe and Middle East, Siraj has performed at some of the world’s most prestigious platforms, including the United Nations, Nobel Prize Hall, the World Economic Forum, the TV show Good Morning Live, MBC TV and the Antena de Oro Awards.
She has also performed before many of the world’s most affluent such as HM King Abdullah II and HM Queen Rania of Jordan and HE Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon. In addition, Farah represents Jordan annually on United Nations World Peace Day.
The internationally acclaimed virtuoso had recently released previous albums showcasing her versatility and in 2012 released The Arabian Jazz Project which focused on original compositions and traditional Middle Eastern tunes set to a jazz context.
Siraj said: “I am very excited to be part of the Liverpool Arab Arts Festival! This festival is one of the most prestigious in Europe and I am proud to take part in it. One of the things I most look forward to is connecting with the audience and bringing them closer to the Arab world through my music. We have an exciting program lined up and I just know it will be a special night!”
The 9 day long festival will take place at various high profile venues across the city including the Bluecoat, FACT, Unity Theatre, St George’s Hall and Sefton Park Palm House. This year LAAF will coincide with the Liverpool International Festival of Business.
This eclectic festival will cover a plethora of cultural mediums and genres, with family activities, visual arts, film, performance, music, dance, food, two book launches and interactive workshops.
