Ali Paris – Friday July 28, 2017 at 8 pm

“On so few occasions these days do I attend an event that moves me to tears and shivers ~ from the first 10 seconds last night, I found myself elevated to an overwhelmingly heartfelt state. The music and energy that you and Faisal put out into the world is such a precious gift to us who feel whole and at home in between the notes. Shukran la illak, ya Ali” – Audience member from Ali Paris concert, June 9 at Old First Concerts

   Flamenco from North Africa to Andalusia and back

Ali Paris, vocals and qanun; David McLean, Flamenco guitar; Sage Baggott, percussion

with special guests Brianna Di Mara, violin and Kerensa DeMars, flamenco dancer.

Ali Paris captivates audiences worldwide with his unique fusion of Middle Eastern and Western music styles highlighted by both technical virtuosity and emotional expression. He accompanies his singing with his instrument, the Qanun, a rare Middle-Eastern 76-string zither that dates back to the 14th century. Ali’s music education began at the age of 5 in his native countries of Morocco and Palestine, studying Arabic traditional music with master Simon Shaheen. He quickly became known as a child prodigy, performing great concert halls by age 9 and touring internationally by the age of 11. Since then he has received multiple international awards and has expanded his musical career exponentially, relocating to the United States to earn his degree at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music.  He has collaborated with a long list of world-renowned artists such as Alicia Keys, Quincy Jones, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, David Broza, Paco De Lucia and Bobby McFerrin. His solo performances have reached diverse audiences from the Newport and Istanbul Jazz Festivals to the White House in Washington DC and the Royal Palace in Jordan to play for both President Abbas of Palestine and Queen Rania of Jordan. He has appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Michigan Philharmonic and is featured in the renowned Grammy-winning Spanish documentary Entre2aguas, the Hollywood movie Noah, and Forbes concert series. Ali has also collaborated with numerous world-renowned artists to benefit the work of Doctors Without Borders, Save a Child’s Heart and Keep A Child Alive including a duet song with Alejandro Sanz that has funded numerous humanitarian projects in Africa & the Middle East.