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IN MOROCCO
Hicham Chami was born in Tetuan, Morocco in 1977. He started playing
qanun at the age of eight, when he enrolled in a qanun class at the
National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Rabat. The class was taught
by Abdelkebir El Haddad, Qanunji of the Royal Orchestra in Morocco.
Hicham studied at the National Conservatory for four years, playing
solo each year for the graduation day of the Conservatory and performing
in the Conservatory’s Oriental Ensemble.
Hicham’s second teacher was Hassan Amhaouch, soloist with the
orchestra of Moroccan Radio and Television Broadcasting. However, the
most influential person in the academic musical sphere was doubtlessly
P. Mohamed Belkhayat, a Moroccan composer and oud teacher, who influenced
Hicham during his intensive weekly private lessons.
Hicham was instructed in Arabic maqams (scales) and also in the very
specific beauty of Moroccan classical music, quite different from Middle
Eastern or Persian Music. His study at the Conservatory ended with graduation
from the Class of Qanun, and the award of both the First Prize and the
Diploma of Honor, with the distinction of, respectively, High Honors
and Honors.
In Morocco, Hicham took part in several concerts and festivals, the
most important being “Le Festival des Oudayas”, annually
organized by the French Cultural Institute; and the “Festival
of Plucked Strings”, sponsored by renowned Moroccan-Canadian artist
and guitar player Said Laghzaoui, during which Hichammy performed with
Ahmet Meter, the Turkish qanun maestro and soloist with the National
Turkish Orchestra.
Along with Hicham’s regular participation with the Oriental Music
Orchestra of the Conservatory, he was an active member of the Quintet
of Arabic Music, under the auspices of the Moroccan Ministry of Cultural
Affairs, and Trio Shahnaz.
IN THE U.S.
At age 22, Hicham moved to the United States to pursue his academic
education (following his bachelor's degree in Marketing from ISCAE,
a Moroccan Business school) at DePaul University’s Kellstadt School
of Business in Chicago.
In the realm of music, he started performing with Taqaseem, a new Chicago
ensemble. But his breakpoint came when he attended Simon Shaheen’s
Arabic Music Retreat at Mount Holyoke College during the summer of 2001.
Hicham studied with Jamal Sinno on qanun and performed with Najib Shaheen’s
ensemble. During the retreat, Hicham connected with several musicians
who would be his major collaborators for the next three years: Beth
Borgerhoff and Al Sharvarsh Bardezbanian of Maine; Yoel Ben-Simhon of
New York City; and Neal Clarke of Oklahoma. Dozens of concerts and recording
sessions had their genesis at the 2001 retreat.
Back in Chicago, Hicham first started working with Issa Boulos, a Palestinian
composer, in his Al-Sharq Ensemble. The repertoire was mainly composed
of Middle-Eastern folk and classical music, along with original compositions
by Boulos. Chicago’s diversity also offered him the opportunity
to perform Jewish music with the TiTiko Ensemble and its acclaimed cantor,
Hazzan Alberto Mizrahi as well as prominent musicians such as pianist
Howard Levy, Indian drummer Kalyan Pathak, and Mandolin player Stuart
Rosenberg.
RECENT PROJECTS
In the summer of 2002, Hicham started Xauen Music, Inc. with Cindy Infantino,
a librarian who had lived in the Middle East and shared his passion
for the music. One of Xauen’s first activities was to begin scanning
and cataloging a comprehensive database of traditional Oriental scores.
HIcham began a fruitful collaboration with Genesis at the Crossroads,
a Chicago-based arts organization dedicated to “unity through
the arts” among Arab, Jewish, and Persian cultures. Chicago Magazine
named Hicham “Best Exotic Instrumentalist” for 2002; he
was featured in an Al Jadid article; and he made his first studio recording
with percussionist Catherine Alexander, “Promises: Oriental Classical
Music.”
Hicham started a new ensemble in January 2003, Mosaic; this ensemble
brought together musicians from diverse backgrounds, including classical
and Klezmer. Hicham performed at a major Genesis at the Crossroads event
in the spring, held at the Chicago Cultural Center. Xauen Music launched
Tarab, a new magazine (the only one of its kind) exclusively devoted
to classical Arabic, Sephardic, Turkish, and Armenian music. Tarab is
sent to more than 15 countries around the world.
At the retreat, Hicham connected with flutist Kim Sopata and began a
partnership that continues to the present. Hicham and Kim were invited
to perform for Queen Rania of Jordan at the ADC gathering in Dearborn,
Michigan in November. Along with percussionist Rich Jankowsky, they
were part of the “Iberian Mystics” program held at Georgetown
University in December.
Hicham and Rich performed for the Seattle Arab Festival; Mosaic was part of the City of Chicago’s “Miles of Music” festival, and Hicham’s new ARABESQUE MUSIC Ensemble performed at the Oriental Institute for their inaugural concert. Hicham and Xauen Music reached into the school community by participating in the Urban Gateways program. All these efforts were noted by acclaimed music critic Ted Shen in an article for the Chicago Reader.
“Promises” was re-released by Multicultural Media in 2004.
Hicham performed with Trio Mizan for Genesis at the Crossroads and with
Kim Sopata for the opening of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. Hicham
gathered ten prominent musicians from around the U.S. for a studio recording
of the songs of Sayyed Darweesh. Xauen Music produced a concert featuring
Algerian singer Souad Massi in her debut U.S. tour, and Hicham started
his weekly “Arabesque” radio on WHPK. Hicham, along with
Kim and Karim Nagi Mohammed, performed for the Executive Staff at the
White House in the summer. Xauen Music and Genesis at the Crossroads
produced a four-city tour of a Moroccan Andalusian orchestra, including
musicians brought from Morocco and Israel. Hicham was filmed for “New
Morning” segment on the Hallmark Channel.
ON THE HORIZON
The Sayyed Darweesh CD is scheduled for release in January 2005. Xauen
Music is planning a five-day music education program in March, featuring
instruction by “rising stars” in the Middle Eastern music
world. Chicago composer Robert Kritz is working with Hicham on a commissioned
work, “Diaspora Dances,” which will be performed with Concertante
di Chicago in May.
© 2003 Xauen Music, Inc.
All rights reserved to Hicham
Chami and Xauen
Music, Inc. |
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