Classical Arabic Music in Ballarat

A group of Arab, Australian, Armenian, Iranian, and Latin musicians will take you in a journey to the streets and alleys of Al-Quds, Cairo, Damascus, Baghdad, Beirut, Algiers and Andalusia: The home of Tarab
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Tarab Ensemble: Victoria's only ensemble performing classical Arabic music

Tarab is an Arabic word that, while difficult to translate, encapsulates the pleasure and joy one gets from great, often classical Arab music. In his book about music in the Arab world, Dr AJ Racy said, 'In Arab culture, the merger between music and emotional transformation is epitomized by the concept of Tarab, which may not have an exact equivalent in Western languages.

In 2019, Yousef Alreemawi; a multi-talented person with disability, founded the ensemble and named it after this beautiful concept of Tarab. In addition to the tireless effort, passion and talent of its musicians and beauty of Tarab, the ensemble owes its success to being Victoria's first and only group that is dedicated to instrumental classical Arab music.

While Tarab ensemble started at the hands of multi-faith Arabic speaking musicians (of Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian origins), we are proud that the vision of the ensemble has expanded to encompass non-Arab musicians including: Sarah McDonaldon Flute (Australia), Vahideh Eissaei on Qunan (Iran), Anthony Schulz on Accordion (Germany/Australia), and Daniel Jauregui on Guitar (Venezuela). This is a testimony of the beauty of Tarab and its ability to attract people from different faiths and cultures around its beauty and diversity.

We hope that we will bring not just the joy of new, and good music, but also knowledge about the Arab world; the home of Tarab.

**Tarab Ensemble is part of Averroes Centre of Arab Culture (est. 2013); a not-for-profit organization that promotes mutual understanding between Arabic speaking communities of Victoria and wider Australia, and- on the other hand- between Australia and the Arab countries via music, knowledge and translation