USA Events
Our talented USA Camp staff of world class musicians
and teachers for 2008 includes
Seido Salifoski, Karim Nagi, Ali Kahya, Souren
Baronian, Mike Uzatmaciyan,
Sami Abu Shumays, Rachid Halihal, Tayyar Akdeniz
and SPECIAL GUESTS!
We welcome all levels of musicians from professional to beginner!
SEIDO
SALIFOSKI - Instructor/ performer (Turkish darbuka)
is of Macedonian descent but was raised in New York. His impeccable technique
and inspired solos have dazzled audiences across the United States and
in Europe. From Balkan to Middle Eastern music, he is a gifted and brilliant
performer. 
KARIM
NAGI - Instructor/ performer (Arabic rhythms, Arabic tabla) is
a native Egyptian who has lived in the Boston area for over 20 years. Karim
performs primarily Arabic, Turkish and Andalusian hand percussion, including
the Egyptian Tabla (goblet drum), Riqq (tambourine) and Segat (brass castanets
also known as finger cymbals). He is a faculty member of the New England
Conservatory of Music and leads the SHARQ Arabic Music Ensemble performing
the classical Arabic instrumental and vocal repertoire. Karim also dances
the Debki Arabic Line Dance. Karim is also a visual artist who works in
the advertising field, designing CD and magazine ads.
ALI KAHYA - Instructor/ performer (Turkish singing,
maqam, ensemble class) a longtime professional
entertainer, is a diversely skilled musician, playing and singing in both
Eastern and Western styles. A native of Kayseri Turkey, he began his musical
training at an early age studying the recorder. By the time he reached
his early teens, he took up accordion, but later shifted his focus to
the keyboard, and received voice training while attending class at Istanbul's
City Conservatory. Subsequently, he began performing publicly in Istanbul
in clubs, restaurants and bars.While continuing to perform Turkish and
Arabic music, Ali began pursuing study of the double bass at the State
Conservatory in Istanbul. Ali now resides in New York City where he has
taught music at the United Nations for five years. 
SOUREN
BARONIAN - Instructor/performer (basic finger cymbals, tambourine)
is an Armenian born artist in NYC. He has performed
throughout the US and abroad as a soloist for over 35 years. His groups
"Taksim" a Near Eastern jazz-fusion ensemble and "Transition"
a folkloric ensemble are very popular. Souren has studied with the renowned
clarinetists Saffet Gundeger and Mustafa Kandirali. He has performed with
leading musicians of Armenia, Turkey, Greece and Arab countries.
SAMI
ABU SHUMAYS - Instructor/performer (violin, Arabic maqam and singing)
studied Arabic violin with Simon Shaheen in New
York, Alfred Gamil in Cairo, Abdul-Baset Bakkar and Abdul-Min'im Senkary
in Aleppo, Syria, and Arabic classical singing with Mohammad Qassas in
Aleppo. He has performed with Simon Shaheen's Near Eastern Ensemble, the
Tarab ensemble, the Maqamikaze dance troupe, and with Amir El-Saffar's
Chalgi Ensemble, and has recorded songs of the Egyptian composer Sayyid
Darwish with Hisham Chami and Xauen Music in Chicago. He has taught maqam
theory at the Arabic Music Retreat, and violin and maqam at Lark Camp
in Mendocino, California, and Lotus Music and Dance in New York City.
He regularly performs in New York City with Zikrayat.
RACHID
HALIHAL- Instructor/performer (Arabic oud, Arabic singing) is
a world class musician who began his studies in his native land of Morocco
as a child. He is classically trained. In addition to his voice, his strongest
instruments are the oud and the violin, which he plays in both the classical
manner and upright resting on the knee for Moroccan folkloric music. He
brings to the community the true character and spirit of musics from the
classical Egyptian; from diverse regions of Morocco and North Africa;
and also from the Arabian Gulf. He has performed throughout Morocco, on
the Ivory Coast, Finland, Canada and now throughout the United States.
www.rachidhalihalmusic.com
MIKE
UZATMACIYAN - Instructor/Performer (Turkish oud, singing) was
born in Diyarbakir, Turkey. He took his first music lessons from his father.
He played cumbus until he moved the States at the age of 17 where he picked
up the oud. Mike has been performing in the New York City area ever since.
He performed with well known artists such as Arto Tuncboyaciyan, Ara Dinkjian,
Omer Faruk Tekbilek and Yuri Yunakov. 
TAYYAR
AKDENIZ - Instructor/performer (Turkish rhythms, davul)
has been involved as a dancer, musician and director of folkloric troupes
for 25 years in Turkey. He is a highly respected, seasoned performer who
has delighted audiences throughout Europe, Asia, the Far East, Mexico
and in the United States. As a singer and musician, his skills with song,
the baglama (lute), davul (drum) and kasiklar (wooden spoons) are much
in demand. Tayyar has worked and performed with very distinguished artists,
musicians and singers, including Zeki Muren, Nida Tufekci, Arif Sag, Muhlis
Akarsu, Izzet Altinmese, Ozay Gonlum, Belkis Akkale, Ajda Pekkan and Ibrahim
Tatlises. Tayyar is the director of Folk Tours and has been working tirelessly
to keep a sense of Turkish culture alive through his events both in the
United States and in Turkey.