Middle Eastern Ensemble "Anatolia" to Perform at Holy Cross

WORCESTER, Mass. – The band Anatolia will give a performance of Middle Eastern music at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 16, in the Brooks Concert Hall. Sponsored by the Muslim Endeavor to Create Cultural Awareness (MECCA), the concert is free and open to the public.

Based in western Massachusetts, Anatolia was formed in 1994 to increase the awareness of Turkish and Arabic music through concerts, recordings, workshops and lectures. The group is made up of Edward Hines ('ud, divan sazi, kaval, clarinet, zurna and vocals), Taner Okatan (saz, percussion and vocals), Michel Moushabeck (percussion) and Jamal Sinno (kanun).

Since its inception, Anatolia has presented concerts at major colleges and universities, festivals and music halls. The group appeared with the world renowned Simon Shaheen in a concert of music and dance from Turkey and the Arab world at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. In 1999, Anatolia contributed a soundtrack of music to a BBC/WGBH documentary on Islam that aired as part of the award-winning series, "The People's Century."

The band's debut anthology, "Folk Songs and Dance Music of Turkey and the Arab World," features 11 pieces which represent urban folk and traditional village music from different regions. Their newest CD, "The Lost Songs of Palestine," is due out in March. It is a collection of traditional folk songs which have been performed by generations of Palestinians, but which recently have been overshadowed or lost after years of conflict.