7pm-8:30pm, Wednesday April 16th 2025
Brooklyn School of Music - 126 St Felix St, Brooklyn, NY 11217

This unit of 3 classes will explore Maqam Bayati in comparison with three other related maqamat: Hijaz, Kurd, and Saba.  They will be modular, not sequential, so students can feel free to drop in to any one, or take all three.

April 16 – Maqam Bayati & Maqam Hijaz

May 7 – Maqam Bayati & Maqam Kurd

June 25 – Maqam Bayati & Maqam Saba

** 3-class bundle available at a discount! **

Sami teaches maqam through a practice-based, embodied approach, using simple call-and-response singing to explore the different features of each maqam, and illustrating with numerous examples from the repertory.  Students of all levels are welcome (including complete newbies to Arabic music).  The class is also open to those who sing or play any instrument, though everyone is asked to sing.  And you don’t have to think of yourself as a “singer” to participate.

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About Sami Abu Shumays: One of the leading Arab violinists in the U.S., Sami Abu Shumays is internationally known as a master of the maqam system. He is co-author of the acclaimed book Inside Arabic Music (Oxford University Press 2019), and his passion for teaching and oral tradition is also expressed through his YouTube series "Maqam Lessons," the website www.maqamlessons.com, and his contributions to www.maqamworld.com. Co-founder and director of the NYC-based Arabic music and dance ensemble Zikrayat (www.zikrayatmusic.com), Sami has also recently released his first solo album Circles, available on all streaming platforms (https://samiabushumays.hearnow.com/)

A second-generation Palestinian-American, Sami originally studied Western music before traveling to the Arab World to reconnect with his roots. He studied with Alfred Gamil in Cairo; Mohamed Qasas, Abdel-Basit Bakkar, and Abdel-Minaim Senkary in Aleppo; and Simon Shaheen and Yusuf Kassab in New York.