Musician in Residence, 2024 Artist-composer, Kanunist and educator Firas Zreik has performed and recorded across the world as a leader and highly sought collaborator since 2013. A sonic revolutionary, the Palestine-born New Yorker has transformed global perception of the Kanun. His treatment of the instrument preserves its identity as a vital part of the Maqam …
Musician in Residence, 2022-2023 Ahmad Fanoos is a well-known Afghan vocalist and harmonium player, having headlined and performed in live and televised performances in Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, Russia, and beyond. Ahmad has been recognized with many prestigious awards, including the Best Artist Award in Afghanistan (2008) and the Golden Voice Award in Dubai (2012). He …
Musician in Residence, 2022-2023 Lama El Homaïssi, she/her, (SHIM:NYC Resident for 2022) is a Lebanese performer, writer and voiceover artist currently based in New York City. Lama started her career in entertainment working for years as a television writer in Lebanon, creating original shows for the Sony Pictures Television Arabia and Talpa Middle East catalogs, …
Musician in Residence, 2021-2022 Haig Papazian is a Lebanese Armenian artist, composer, and architect born in Beirut, and a former musician in residence with SHIM:NYC. He is a founding member and violinist of Mashrou’ Leila, the Lebanese pop band whose electro-pop anthems about political freedoms, race, and modern Arabic identity have challenged the status quo …
Musician in Residence, 2020-2021 Mai Khoi, is a Vietnamese musician and composer, and a former musician in residence at SHIM:NYC. Khoi rose to stardom in Vietnam in 2010 after winning the Vietnam Television song and album of the year awards. With her stardom, however, came increasing discomfort with government censorship, and an ever-increasing desire to …
Musician in Residence, 2019-2020 King Raam is an Iranian musician, storyteller, actor, and a former musician in residence of SHIM:NYC. He started his performing career as the singer/songwriter/founder of Hypernova, a post-punk band born in the undergrounds of Tehran in the early 2000’s. After touring worldwide with Hypernova, Raam began pursuing a solo career under …
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