BRIDGES: COLLABORATION WITH ROULA SAID


"...the notion of music acting as a bridge between people is the leitmotif chosen
by these multi-talented co-leaders...
....an inspirational evening that includes some of Toronto's finest world musicians." 
          Andrew Timar, The WholeNote
From Small World Music Press release:

At no time in recent memory has there been a greater need for building unity between communities. With tensions between and within nations, the notion of music acting as a bridge between peoples has rarely been more appropriate. Toronto-based artists Lenka Lichtenberg and Roula Said plan on doing just that when they present an evening that combines Jewish and Arabic traditions in a concert called “Bridges”.

Inspired by the soundscape of Toronto, Lenka Lichtenberg's fourth album Fray takes Yiddish-based music into the world of global roots and rhythms, blending styles and transcending boundaries. Her group, a unique assemblage of musicians rooted in diverse musical traditions, most recently performed at festivals in Argentina, Quebec, Poland, and Vancouver, and showcased in New York. "Bridges", launched in partnership with Roula Said, is a special project for the band that "Bridges" Jewish and Arabic music, with the two traditions complementing, enriching and inspiring each other to create unexpected new common ground.

Roula Said is a multi-faceted artist who has dedicated her talents to Middle Eastern music and dance. One of Canada's leading lights in the world of bellydance, Roula is the director of Om Laila Bellydance, the producer of FunkaBelly - Toronto's premier global Grooves Dance Party and Bellydance Cabaret, and the vocalist, dancer and percussionista of Gypsy/Arabic funk band, Nomadica (which she co-leads with trumpeter and composer, David Buchbinder).

Featuring:

Lenka Lichtenberg - voice, composition
Roula Said - voice, composition, qanun, percussion, dance
Alan Hetherington - percussion, pandeiro, drums
Chris Gartner - bass
John Gzowski - oud, guitars, bouzouki guitar
Ernie Tollar - sax, flutes, clarinet
Kinneret Sagee - clarinet
Ravi Naimpally - tabla, dumbeq, percussion
Audience responses:

"What a great program, lovely evening!"  Dr. Karen Mock, Human Rights Consultant

"What a warm, soulful, fun concert!"  Rabbi Elyse Goldstein

"Blending Yiddish and Arabic is so unusual but
Lenka and Roula make it work so beautifully."   Perla Reisenbach