The New York Oud Festival is a multi-day, multi-venue music festival that displays the oud and its versatility as it exists in New York's diverse musical culture. The NYOF celebrates the oud and its wide-ranging influence on global music culture, showcasing artists from a multitude of traditions and contexts, and demonstrating why the oud continues to be one of the world's most beloved instruments.
Zafer Tawil, Gabe Lavin
Day 2 of the festival will feature sets by oudists Zafer Tawil and Gabe Lavin. Seating is limited so first-come first-serve!
Zafer Tawil is an accomplished Palestinian musician and a virtuoso on oud, qanun, violin, and Arab percussion. He performs across the U.S. and in the Middle East with such musicians as Sting as well as celebrated world music artists. He was a featured composer and performer in acclaimed director Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-nominated film “Rachel Getting Married” and is composing and performing for Demme’s next film project, Zeitoun. Zafer is continuously exploring the boundaries of Arab music, and often performs collaborative concerts involving classical Indian and Persian music, as well as Jazz fusion. He has been a guest teacher at workshops on Arab music at many institutions and universities across the United States. A native of Jerusalem, he resides in New York City.
Gabe Lavin is a Brooklyn-based musician and scholar. He obtained his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology in 2023 (UCLA) and has performed throughout the United States and the Arab world, including in Egypt, Oman, Sudan, and Kuwait. He trained at Beit El Oud in Cairo and the Oud Association in Muscat, and has also worked with UCLA’s Near East Ensemble, the Los Angeles Arabic Orchestra, and the New York Arabic Orchestra. Gabe's performance will feature two regional styles within the Arab world that have shaped his playing the most: the modern Iraqi school and music from the Arabian Peninsula. In addition to instrumental versions of songs from the Gulf and Yemen, Gabe will showcase oud etudes and compositions by the founder of the Iraqi oud school Sharif Muhiuddin Haidar Targan (1892-1967) to honor the centennial of his move to New York City, where he lived and performed between 1924 and 1932.
Buy Tickets
