Al Firdaus Ensemble, a group of talented musicians from Granada, Spain, arrived on Hill campus to perform sama music on October 4, 2019. The concert, which was comprised of the traditional clothing and music of Arabs and Spainiards, was a huge success. Brought in by Yassine Benzinane, chair of the world languages department, the band provided the students with a chance to be in a small classroom setting and have personal contact with the musicians.

“We hope to build cultural bridges because it is the purpose of the music these days,” said Ali Keeler, the violinist and vocal soloist of the group. “We’ve been in so much conflict with one another, and music has the powers that the politicians, words, and intellectual discourse don’t t have because music goes directly to the heart. We feel that our work is very important since it nourishes the soul, and so much music these days does the opposite.” 

The members of the ensemble, Ali Keeler, Omar Benlamlih, Yusuf El Mezghildi, Luisa Gutierrez, and Muhammad Dominguez, started performing together in 2012. With members from three different continents and different cultural backgrounds, the Al Firdaus Ensemble were brought together with one purpose –  tuning their hearts to receive the inspiration of the movement and transmitting that to the audience. This unique music is comprised of different musical styles, including the original compositions of western classical character with influences from both Celtic and flamenco traditions. Other influences include traditional Sufi music from Arabic, Andalusia, and Turkish sources. The lyrics, on the other hand, come mostly from the poetry of great sufis such as Al Andalusia and from the Arab world such as the songs, “In Arabi” and “Al Shushtari.” 

“We want our students to converse, without difficulties, with the cultures they are studying,” Benzinane said. “We want people to see a different world view, even for students who are not studying Arabic or Spanish. Especially for our students who don’t have a chance to travel far, they get to see how other cultures view, play, and interpret their music.” 

Before inviting the Al Firdaus Ensemble to Hill, Benzinane had been searching for the lead singer, Keeler, for years. It was during a recent trip last summer that Benzinane accidentally met Keeler in Granada, Spain. Coincidentally, the Al Firdaus Ensemble was actually planning on doing a tour around the U.S. starting from Washington to Yale University, Princeton University, Detroit, Atlanta, Ohio, Hurston, and California. Benzinane then invited the group to perform for and educate the Spanish and Arabic scholars at Hill.

The concert and the classroom interaction between the artists and the students created cultural bridges that provide the students with direct contact with the cultures that they study. This interaction made the information in textbooks real life experience for the students.

“I feel that the concert was really nice, unexpected even, because I didn’t think that I would like it that much. It was nice to hear other cultures’ music, and it’s therapeutic to be immersed in such foreign surroundings through the power of music,” said Lal Yatagan ’21.