Xauen Music presents Syrian cellist Kinan Abou-Afach along with members of the Mosaic Trio as part of its Arabesque Chicago concert series on Wednesday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m. at Raven Theatre's East Stage.

The Mosaic Trio, representing musicians from the Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble, performs traditional instrumental music from the Arabic, Sephardic, Egyptian, Levantine, Turkish, and Armenian repertoire.

Syrian cellist Kinan Abou-Afach began studying the cello at the age of eight with Pavel Coupin, Rasi Abdullaiev, and Valery Volkov at the Arabic Institute of Music in Damascus. A full time member of the Syrian Symphony ensemble, Kinan moved to Chicago in 2000 to obtain his Masters Degree at DePaul University School of Music. He is currently studying with Stephen Balderston, and is a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Along with his Classical curriculum, Kinan has been experimenting with creating a modern genre of traditional Middle-Eastern music using his studies and experience in classical and modern music and applying it to the Arabic Maqam System (Arabic scales). The music is based on improvisational ideas that reflect the Middle-Eastern philosophy, which is performed with the depth and warmth of the cello and the rich-ethnic sound of the 'ud, making these compositions unique.

Hicham Chami is a Moroccan-born qanun performer based in Chicago. He has studied qanun for nearly twenty years in Morocco and the U.S. Hicham is founder of the Mosaic Trio and the Chicago Classical Oriental Ensemble as well as Xauen Music, an organization dedicated to preserving the heritage of classical Arabic, Sephardic, Turkish, and Armenian music. He strives to communicate the beauty of traditional Oriental music to the American public through concerts, recordings, and publications. Hicham was named “best exotic instrumentalist” by Chicago Magazine in 2002. His CD, “Promises,” was re-released by Multicultural Media last year. Hicham’s ensembles have performed at the Chicago Cultural Center, Oriental Institute, Alliance Francaise, Georgetown University, Symphony Space, and numerous other cultural venues in the U.S.

Percussionist Douglas Brush received a B.M. with honors from Roosevelt University. He has studied with Patsy Dash of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Ed Poremba of the Lyric Opera. He is very active as a performer in the Midwest, writing and performing in a variety of settings including theatre, film, chamber music, ethnic music, and jazz. His composition credits and recordings include music for modern dance concerts, films, industrials, and commercials. Doug collects and specializes in ethnic percussion instruments and presents unusual and interesting workshops in the use of these diverse instruments. He is an active teacher in the Chicago area with students at Joan’s Studio for the Arts and his own private studio. Doug is a founding member and leader of The Rhythmunity Ensemble, a world percussion ensemble which has performed for tens of thousands of Chicago public school students in outreach programs for the International Music Foundation.

Xauen Music (www.xauen-music.com) is a Chicago-based organization dedicated to preserving the legacy of traditional Arab, Turkish, Armenian, and Sephardic music. Arabesque Chicago is a monthly showcase of Arabic music held in the intimate performance space of the Raven Theatre's East Stage. Xauen Music also sponsors the Heartland Seminars on Arab Culture (www.heartlandseminar.com), a week-long program of dance and music held during Spring Break in Wisconsin.

Tickets are $12 general admission / $8 students and seniors and may be ordered from www.xauen-music.com.

Raven Theatre is at 6157 N. Clark St., Chicago; a free parking lot is adjacent.

For information, please call Xauen Music at 773-856-6454.