Words Adorned: Al-Bustan Seeds of Culture

Words Adorned: Andalusian Poetry and Music premiered two new compositions by composers Kareem Roustom and Kinan Abou-afach, inspired by the Andalusian poetry form known as muwashshahat. Their compositions of 20-minute musical suites for takht ensemble, chamber choir, and soloist, were presented on December 5, 2015 featuring Al-Bustan Takht Ensemble with The Crossing, a Philadelphia-based award-winning Western choir, and solo vocalist Dalal Abu Amneh. The project also included five scholarly talks, poetry readings, and music demonstrations held at Bryn Mawr, University of Pennsylvania, and Trinity Center for Urban Life.

The Al-Bustan team who has developed this project includes Founder/Executive Director Hazami Sayed, Music Director Hanna Khoury, Project Manager Ahmad Almallah, Dave Tavani created the series of videos documenting the process, Jasmine Erdener created the podcasts.