Shaheen and Qantara: Myth of Gilgamesh at UMass Amherst - 11/14/08

Friday, November 14
Bowker Auditorium 8:00 pm
$20, $15; Five College students & Youth 17 and under, $15
Purchase tickets online here at Umass.edu

The Myth of Gilgamesh, a music and storytelling collaboration between Margaret Wolfson and Simon Shaheen. Margaret and Simon collaborated in a marvelous music/storytelling version of the famous Arab love story Majnun Layla. They're once again working together in this unique production.

Inscribed on stone tablets in Babylonia more than three thousand years ago, the Epic of Gilgamesh tells of King Gilgamesh’s quest for immortality after losing his dearest friend, Enkidu. This unforgettable story, set in Mesopotamia (today’s Iraq), is presented in a mesmerizing mix of music and storytelling. 

As the storyteller, Margaret Olivia Wolfson spins her version of the epic, bringing its characters and themes of friendship a nd courage, love and loss to new and exciting life, as renowned Palestinian-American musician Simon Shaheen and the musicians of his Qantara Ensemble, perform dazzling rhythms and haunting melodies on Oud (Arabian lute), violin, Ney (Arabian flute), and world percussion. Together, the storytelling and music create a thrilling experience guaranteed to inspire and intrigue.

Additional support is provided by the Five College Lecture Fund and the music departments of Amherst, Hampshire and Smith Colleges.

Please spread the word about this event.