In weaving together Jewish and Middle Eastern music, Galeet Dardashti brings a complexity of diverse cross-cultural sounds to life in "Monajat."
"The music that we make is based on all the diverse musical backgrounds we grow up with," explains Dardashti, whose grandfather was a famous Persian classical singer.
Although she grew up in the United States, with a father who became a Jewish cantor, and studied classical music in college, she became interested in Middle Eastern music, especially Middle Eastern Jewish music. Her rich and fascinating history informs her hybrid sounds.
In "Monajat," she samples recordings of her Iranian grandfather to weave into original compositions set to Jewish and Persian poetry, while performing alongside acclaimed Middle Eastern and jazz musicians.
She performs the multi-sensory work this Thursday, Mar. 28, at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.
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