Founded a decade ago by Detroit-born conductor Michael Ibrahim, the National Arab Orchestra is dedicated to preserving and performing classical and contemporary Arab music.

Its Hill Auditorium debut, originally scheduled for March 2021, was converted to a digital presentation that paid tribute to the great Egyptian singers Asmahan and Umm Kulthum, and we’re thrilled that we were able to reschedule a live concert for UMS’s 2021/22 season.

Lebanese singer Abeer Nehme joins the ensemble, performing diverse repertoires ranging from liturgical to traditional Middle Eastern and contemporary music. A recognized performer across Lebanon, the Arab World, Greece, and Syria, Nehme is also a musicologist who travels around the globe, searching for the roots of folk and ethnic music by observing and participating in various cultural traditions. This concert will include pieces from the traditional classical canon of Arab music as well as works by contemporary Arab composers.