Saturday 18 February

Event: One World Peace Concert.

Venue: The Queen’s Hall, 87-89 Clerk Street, Edinburgh.

Time: 6.30pm-10pm. Doors open 5.30pm.

Indian snacks served by Suruchi Indian Restaurant from 5.45pm-6.30pm in the bar.

'Inshalla Shalom' (Inshalla: in Arabic, With God‚s Help,
Shalom: in Hebrew, Peace) Yair Dalal and Avi Agababa present peace songs
Yair Dalal composed in Hebrew, Arabic and Aramaic. www.yairdalal.com;

'Songs for Peace' St Peter‚s Primary School Choir;

'Bharathanatyam with Priya and Danceihayami' The dancers will present
classical Indian dances with extreme precision, hand gestures, footwork and
expressions. Bharata Natyam is poetry in motion. It is a blend of the
abstract and the emotional and is derived from its fusion of two prime
elements, nritta (pure dance) and nritya (expressive dance). Bharathanatyam
derives much of its intense and dramatic impact from this juxtaposition and
contrast in which both elements are used;

'Classical Turkish Sufi Songs of Love and Devotion' Neyzen Ilhan Barutcu.
Neyzen Ilhan Barutcu, a graduate of Istanbul Conservatiore, lectures in
music at Trabzon University on the Black Sea Coast. Ilhan plays the ney in
the classical Sufi Tradition. He has performed around the world and has
released two collections of his music on CD;

'Singing Together with Peace' Quakers and Buddhists;

INTERVAL

'Waterboys singer Mike Scott will perform a 25 minute solo set of songs and
poetry accompanied by his guitar.'

'East Meets West' Songs with Heather Heywood and Bharati Bundhoo. Heather
Heywood is regarded as one of Scotland‚s finest traditional singers. Bharati
Bundhoo is a classical Indian singer from Mauritius now resident in
Scotland. Each has a depth and spirit in their singing that is exceptional;

'A Place That Changes My Mind - A Fusion of Poetry and Music Creating a
Culture of Peace as a Sustainable Work-in-Progress' Written and presented by
Lee Gershuny with original music by Haftor Medboe and Fred Parsons;

'Spiritual Choral Music from a Variety of Christian Orthodox Traditions'
Coda Choir is an ecumenical choir helping people to experience spirituality
through the arts.

Cost: £8/£6 (Concessions).

Contact: Booking Hotline on 0131 668 2019, or in person at the Queen’s Hall.

Queen’s Hall Website: http://www.thequeenshall.net/index.php

Sunday 19 February

Event: Yair Dalal and Avi Agababa Concert:

Asmar - Yair Dalal returns more than ever to his Jewish - Iraqi musical roots. This is Yair Dalal's journey to explore and expose his Babylonian heritage, and the music of Baghdad.

Venue: Sanctuary, St George’s West Church, 58 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh.

Time: 8.15pm-10.15pm. Doors Open at 7.45pm.

Event Description: Yair Dalal, composer, violinist and oud player is probably the most prolific Israeli ethnic musician today. Over the last decade he has put out nine albums, covering wide and varied cultural territory. Much of Dalal’s output reflects the strong affinity that he has for the desert and its inhabitants. Dalal’s family came to Israel from Baghdad and he has included much Iraqi material in his work to date. Dalal creates new Middle Eastern music by interweaving the traditions of Iraqi and Jewish Arabic music with a range of influences originating from such diverse cultural milieus as the Balkans to India. The evocative compositions comprise a unique and colourful sound, including  numerous Arabic percussion instruments, tabla, sitar, flute, clarinet, lyre and saz - and invoking Iraqi, Moroccan, Persian and even Bedouin singing styles. Yair Dalal is a peace activist in all means; besides his musical endeavours, he devotes much time and energy to helping to remove ideological barriers between musicians from different cultures and, in particular, between Jews and Arabs. Dalal performed at the Nobel Peace Prize gala concert in 1994 honouring the then Israeli Prime Minister Rabin, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian Chairman Yassir Arafat. Nominee for the BBC World Music Award 2003 in the category of the Middle East. Avi Agababa: One of the foremost percussionists in Israel today. A musician with various musical backgrounds and knowledge, graduated at Rimon School of Jazz. Agababa started his career as a drumset player and performs with various outstanding Israeli artists. Agababa plays with a unique feeling for folk, ethnic  and classical oriental music. Avi Agababa was born in Israel to Jewish Iraqi parents. See: http://www.yairdalal.com/

Cost: £12/£10 (concessions). To book contact Tickets Scotland LTD.

Contact: Tickets Scotland LTD, 127 Rose Street, Edinburgh, 0131 220 3234, open 9am-6pm (8pm Thursday), 11am-6pm on Sunday. http://www.tickets-scotland.com/contact.html

Monday 20 February

Event: Yair Dalal and Avi Agababa Concert:

Shacharut - Live in the Desert: Shacharut is free in spirit, delicate, poetic and rhythmic, combining varied and distant periods and cultures, both Jewish and Arab.

Venue: Sanctuary, St George’s West Church, 58 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh.

Time: 8.15pm-10.15pm. Doors Open at 7.45pm.

Event Description: For biographies, see above. See: http://www.yairdalal.com/

Cost: £12/£10 (concessions). To book contact Tickets Scotland LTD.

Contact: Tickets Scotland LTD, 127 Rose Street, Edinburgh, 0131 220 3234, open 9am-6pm (8pm Thursday), 11am-6pm on Sunday. http://www.tickets-scotland.com/contact.html

Tuesday 21 February

Event: Day Workshop: Judeo Arab Music - Bridge to Babylon, Middle Eastern Musical System.

Facilitator(s): Yair Dalal and Avi Agababa. See: http://www.yairdalal.com/

Venue: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

Time: 9.30am for 10am-4pm.

Event Description: Judeo Arab Music - Bridge to Babylon, Middle Eastern Musical System. Bring your own instrument. Please bring vegetarian food to share for lunch.

Cost: £20/£10 (concessions). For a Registration Form:

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Saturday 25 February

Event: Day Workshop: The Rhythms and Music of Turkey and the Middle East - An introduction to the traditional Sufi, Folk and Contemporary Music of Turkey and the Middle East, including lectures and demonstrations.

Venue: Sanctuary, St George’s West Church, 58 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh.

Time: 9.30am for 10am-4pm.

Event Description: See Sunday 26 February entry for more details. Bring your own instrument. Please bring vegetarian food to share for lunch.

Cost: £20/£10 (concessions). For a Registration Form:

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Sunday 26 February

Venue: Sanctuary, St George’s West Church, 58 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh.

Time: 8.15pm-10.15pm. Doors open at 7.45pm.

Event Description: Omar Faruk Tekbilek: Honoured as a peacemaker and virtuoso, Omar Faruk Tekbilek is now one of the most sought-after Middle Eastern/Turkish musicians, whose work transcends political boundaries while maintaining traditional sensibilities in a way few artists can manage. He is a virtuoso on several instruments: the nay (bamboo flute), the zurna (double-reed oboe like instrument), the baglama (long-necked lute) and percussion instruments, and is a masterful performer on dozens more. Omar Faruk Tekbilek brilliantly interprets the Sufi, Folk, and Contemporary music of the Middle East. Nominee for the BBC World Music Award 2003 in the category of the Middle East. Orphan Salliel is one of the most outstanding musicians and conductors of his generation in Turkey. He was born in 1968 in Adana Turkey. See: http://www.omarfaruktekbilek.com/

Cost: £12/£10 (concessions). To book contact Tickets Scotland LTD.

Contact: Tickets Scotland LTD, 127 Rose Street, Edinburgh, 0131 220 3234, open 9am-6pm (8pm Thursday), 11am-6pm on Sunday. http://www.tickets-scotland.com/contact.html

Monday 27 February

Venue: Sanctuary, St George’s West Church, 58 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh.

Time: 8.15pm-10.15pm. Doors open at 7.45pm.

Event Description: See Sunday 26 February entry for more details.

Cost: £12/£10 (concessions). To book contact Tickets Scotland LTD.

Contact: Tickets Scotland LTD, 127 Rose Street, Edinburgh, 0131 220 3234, open 9am-6pm (8pm Thursday), 11am-6pm on Sunday. http://www.tickets-scotland.com/contact.html

Wednesday 1 March

Event: Pathways to Peace Through Spiritual Dance.

Venue: Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh.

Time: 9am-9.30am: Arrival and Registration. 9.30am-5.30pm: Dance Day.

Event Description: Peter Vallance will lead Sacred Circle Dance, Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti (Dr Neil Douglas-Klotz) will lead Traditional Sufi Movement, Alice Fateah Saunders will lead Dances of Universal Peace, and Iona Kelli Sellars will lead 5 Rhythms Dance. The format for the day will be as follows:

9am-9.30am: Arrival and Registration.

9.30am-10.15am: Sacred Circle Dance.

10.15am-11am: Traditional Sufi Movement.

11am-11.30am: Break.

11.30am-12.15pm: Dances of Universal Peace.

12.15pm-1pm: 5 Rhythms Dance.

1pm-2pm: Lunch.

2pm-3.30pm: 2 Parallel Workshops:

1. Traditional Sufi Movement.

2. 5 Rhythms Dance.

3.30pm-4pm: Break.

4pm-5.30pm: 2 Parallel Workshops:

1. Dances of Universal Peace.

2. Sacred Circle Dance.

Cost: £20/£10 (concessions). For a Registration Form:

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Event: Tales and Music of the Spirit with Beth Bahia Cohen and Peter Vallance.

Venue: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

Time: 8pm-10pm. Doors open 7.30pm.

Event Description: An evening of folk tales and traditional music drawn from the vibrant cultures of the Middle East. Drawing on Jewish, Arab and Christian sources, Peter weaves a garland of treasures that inspire, uplift and make us laugh while Beth takes us on musical journeys with the Egyptian rebaba, Turkish bowed tanbur, and the violin, playing Arabic debkes, Sufi ritual music, and Sephardic Jewish melodies. Beth Bahia Cohen is a master of the violin and various bowed instruments from the Middle East and the Balkans who loves to show the beauty of traditional music as well as their differences and similarities across cultures. She has studied and performed with violinists from Egypt, Greece, Turkey, Hungary, and more. She performs and teaches throughout the U.S. and Europe and has played with Led Zeppelin and Itzhak Perlman, among others. Peter Vallance is a native Scot who lives in the Findhorn community. He sees stories as central to the spiritual quest and shares them on his journeys around the world. See: http://bethcohen.com/

Cost: £8/£6 on the door, on the night.

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Thursday 2 March

Event: Pathways to Peace Through Spiritual and Musical Practice.

Venue: Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh.

Time: 9am-9.30am: Arrival and Registration. 9.30am-5.30pm: Day of Spiritual and Musical Practice for Peace.

Event Description: The format for the day will be as follows:

9am-9.30am: Arrival and Registration.

9.30am-9.40am: Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti.

Welcome and Introduction.

9.40am-10am: Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti:

Sufi Chanting.

10.20am-10.40am: Beth Bahia Cohen.

Sufi Devotional Music: Beth Bahia Cohen will play music from the mystical branch of Islam on the Turkish yayli (bowed) tanbur.

10.40am-11am: MaryCatherine Burgess.

Music and Song for Peace.

11am-11.20am: Break.

11.20am-11.50am: Latif Bolat (with Jennifer Ferraro).

Mystic Songs and the Practice of Remembrance in the Turkish Sufi Tradition. The sacred hymns (nefes and illahis) of Turkey’s dervishes are a sung zikr, a practice of the remembrance of God which also present the rich living wisdom of this tradition in their poem-lyrics. The mesmerizing music invites audience participation in the zikr.

11.50am-12: Jennifer Ferraro.

Poems that Illuminate, Awaken, Reveal and Transfigure – A sharing of poems across cultures which speak of the heart’s wisdom and transfigure experience into luminous distillation.

12-12.20pm: Carolyn Sparey-Fox and Jeremy Fox.

A Musical Setting of Poems by Táhirih, 19th century poet-martyr, with Carolyn Sparey-Fox and Jeremy Fox.

12.20pm-1pm: Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti.

Ritual of Universal Peace.

1pm-2pm: Lunch.

2pm-2.20pm: Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti.

Chanting the Aramaic Words of Jesus.

2.20pm-2.40pm: Rebekah Gronowski.

Using Music and Singing to Cross over the Barriers between Cultures and Promote Peace.

2.40pm-3pm: Rabbi David Rose.

Readings on the theme of Peace.

3.30pm-3.50pm: Break.

4.10pm-4.30pm: Rev Jenny Williams.

Taize singing - singing for peace within and beyond the Christian tradition.

4.30pm-5.30pm: Alice Fateah Saunders.

Dances of Universal Peace.

Cost: £20/£10 (concessions). For a Registration Form:

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Event: The 2006 Middle East Festival Lecture by Professor Tariq Ramadan.

Talk Title: Islam and the West in a Quest for a Just and Peaceful World.

Chair: Rev Prof Frank Whaling.

Venue: The Queen’s Hall, 87-89 Clerk Street, Edinburgh.

Time: Doors Open: 6.30pm. Lecture and Questions: 7.30pm-9.30pm.

Organised by the Middle East Festival.

Co-hosted by the Middle East Festival and the University of Edinburgh.

Event Description: This event will consist of an hour long lecture by Tariq Ramadan followed by an hour of questions and discussion.

Named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most important innovators of the 21st century, Tariq Ramadan occupies a unique place among leading Islamic thinkers. Professor Tariq Ramadan holds MA in Philosophy and French literature and PhD in Arabic and Islamic Studies from the University of Geneva. In Cairo, Egypt, he received one-on-one intensive training in classic Islamic scholarship from Al-Azhar University scholars. Tariq Ramadan is currently Senior Research Fellow at Lokahi Foundation and visiting Professor at St Antony’s College, Oxford. Through his writings and lectures he has contributed substantially to the debate on the issues of Muslims in the West and Islamic revival in the Muslim world. He is active both at the academic and grassroots levels lecturing extensively throughout the world on social justice and dialogue between civilizations. Prof Tariq Ramadan has written more than twenty books exploring the difficult issues of reinterpretation and reform within Islam itself and between the Islamic world and its neighbours around the globe. His books include Western Muslims and the Future of Islam (Oxford University Press, 2003), Islam, the West, and the Challenges of Modernity (The Islamic Foundation, 2000), To Be a European Muslim (The Islamic Foundation, 1998), and Jihad, Violence, War and Peace in Islam (in French only, Tawhid, 2002). He has also published a total of 700 contributions or articles in collective books, academic reviews, and magazines. See: http://www.tariqramadan.com/

Cost: £7/£5 (concessions).

Contact: Booking Hotline on 0131 668 2019, or in person at the Queen’s Hall.

Queen’s Hall Website: http://www.thequeenshall.net/index.php

Friday 3 March

Event: Pathways of the Heart: 2006 MESP Conference.

Venue: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

Time: 9am-9.30am: Arrival and Registration. 9.30am-5.30pm: Conference.

Event Description: The format for the day will be as follows:

9am-9.30am: Arrival and Registration.

9.30am-9.40am: Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti.

Welcome and Introduction.

9.40am-10.20am: Talk by Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti.

The Tent of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar: A New Look at the Biblical and Quranic Stories and Their Implications for Peace.

10.20am-11am: Talk by Bishop Kallistos Ware.

Create Silence: the Aim of the Jesus Prayer.

11am-11.10am: Questions and Discussion.

11.10am-11.30am: Break.

12.10pm-12.50pm: Talk by Prof Nigel Osborne.

Music and the Heart.

12.50pm-1pm: Questions and Discussion.

1pm-2pm: Lunch.

2pm-3pm: Three Parallel Workshops.

1. Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti.

2. Prof James Morris.

3pm-3.20pm: Break.

3.20pm-4.20pm: Three Parallel Workshops.

1. Bishop Kallistos Ware.

Find Christ Everywhere: the Jesus Prayer in our Daily Life.

2. Davod Azad.

Music as a Path of the Awakened Heart.

3. Jennifer Ferraro.

Poetry as a Path of the Awakened Heart.

4.20pm-5.30pm: Panel Plenary and Discussion.

Theme: Dimensions of the Heart.

Panelists: Bishop Kallistos Ware, Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti, Prof James Morris and Prof Aziz Sheikh.

Cost: £20/£10 for each day of the conference. To receive a Registration Form:

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Event: The 2006 Middle East Festival Conference Lecture by Bishop Kallistos Ware.

Chair: Rev Prof Frank Whaling.

Title: Acquire Inner Peace: Prayer of the Heart in Orthodox Spirituality.

Venue: St Mary's RC Cathedral, Broughton Street, Edinburgh.

http://www.stmaryscathedral.co.uk/find.html

Time: Doors open at 7pm. Lecture from 7.30pm-8.30pm, Questions and Discussion from 8.30pm-9.30pm.

Event Description: Bishop Kallistos is an Assistant Bishop in the Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain (Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople), and also a monk of the Monastery of St John the Theologian on the island of Patmos. During 1966-2001 he was Spalding Lecturer in Eastern Orthodox Studies at Oxford University, and he is an Emeritus Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford. His books include The Orthodox Church (Penguin Books), The Orthodox Way and The Inner Kingdom. He is co-translator of The Philokalia and of Orthodox liturgical books.

Cost: Admission Free. Everyone Welcome. First Come, First Served.

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Saturday 4 March

Event: Pathways of the Heart: 2006 MESP Conference.

Venue: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

Time: 9am-9.30am: Arrival and Registration. 9.30am-5.30pm: Conference.

Event Description: The format for the day will be as follows:

9am-9.30am: Arrival and Registration.

9.30am-9.40am: Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti.

Welcome and Introduction.

9.40am-10.20am: Talk by Bishop Kallistos Ware.

We Behold His Glory: Prayer of the Heart and the Transfiguration of Christ.

10.20am-11am: Talk by Sheelah Trefle Hidden.

Conflict, Forgiveness and Reconciliation: Their meaning in the Contemplative Life.

11am-11.10am: Questions and Discussion.

11.10am-11.30am: Break.

The Alchemy of Music as a Healing Art.

12.10pm-12.50pm: Talk by Prof James Morris.

From Spirituality to Civilisation: Exploring the Political Dimensions of Spiritual Intelligence.

12.50pm-1pm: Questions and Discussion.

1pm-2pm: Lunch.

2pm-3pm: Three Parallel Workshops.

1. Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti.

2. Latif Bolat.

Turkish Mysticism: Heterodoxy and Islam.

3. Sheelah Trefle Hidden.

Examining Violence and Forgiveness in the Gospel of Matthew.

3pm-3.20pm: Break.

3.20pm-4.20pm: Three Parallel Workshops.

1. Bishop Kallistos Ware.

Glorify God with your Body: the Role of the Body in Prayer.

2. Latif Bolat and Jennifer Ferraro.

Poetry and Music of the Sufi Dervishes of Turkey.

4.20pm-5.30pm: Panel Plenary and Discussion.

Theme: Understandings of the Spiritual Nature of the Heart.

Panelists: Bishop Kallistos Ware, Murshid Saadi Shakur Chishti,Prof James Morris and Dr John Parris.

Cost: £20/£10 for each day of the conference. To receive a Registration Form:

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Event: The Voice of Unity, Concert with Davod Azad.

Venue: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

Time: 8pm-10pm. Doors open at 7.30pm.

Event Description: Davod Azad was born in 1963, and raised in Azarbajan (Iran). He started initially to explore the wonderful world of Iranian classical music on his own. After his first encounters, he advanced to study music under the guidance and supervision of Persian masters on vocals and multiple instruments including Taar, Sehtar, Tanbour, Rabab, and Daf. His work is based on long and intensive studies of the past masters of Iranian classical music. He has many publications such as the studies of the school of Tabriz Tar and the Hormozey style of Setar. He is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist and vocalist. Mastering in the Iranian classical music, the Azeri folk music, the ancient Persian music, and the Persian Sufi music, specifically influenced by the music of the Ghajar period in Persian history, a pure classical Persian music form which to this date has remained undiluted by Western or other styles of music. The classical Persian music which Davod Azad plays is based on the ancient Modal System of Persian classical music. The Persian classical music is one of the oldest and purest forms of music in the world today. Its unique style is based on 12 Modes or Dastgaahs. The nearest music forms to Persian Dastgaah is that of the Indian Raga. See: www.davodazad.com

Cost: £8/£6 on the door, on the night.

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Sunday 5 March

Event: Latif Bolat Ensemble Presents:

The Asik (Lover/Troubador) Tradition in Turkish Culture and Mysticism. Healing Sounds of Turkish Mystic Music: An evening of music, poetry, dance and images. There will be a pre-concert lecture before the concert.

Venue: Augustine United Church, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

Time: Doors open at 7.15pm. Pre-Concert Lecture from 7.45pm-8.15pm. Concert from 8.15pm-10.15pm.

Event Description: In this concert Latif Bolat will present the mesmerizing folk and Sufi songs of Turkey, called Nefes and Ilahis, singing and accompanying himself on the traditional troubador instrument called baglama. Jennifer Ferraro will accompany Latif Bolat on the frame drum and will present devotional dance and poems of the Sufi mystics of Turkey that she and Bolat have translated. Images of Turkey will also be shown, creating a tapestry of beauty and devotion in the Sufi tradition. http://www.latifbolat.com/

Cost: £8/£6 on the door, on the night.

Contact: Neill Walker, 0131 331 4469, njwalk4300@hotmail.co.uk

Event: Concert with Yasmin Levy.

Venue: The Queen’s Hall, 87-89 Clerk Street, Edinburgh.

Time: 8pm.

Event Description: In her deep, spiritual and moving style of singing, Yasmin preserves and revives the most beautiful songs from the Ladino/Judeo-Spanish heritage, mixing it with Andalusian Flamenco. In 2004, she performed at various international festivals and events including WOMAD Singapore, Forum Barcelona, and the BBC’s New Year’s Day concert in London. Yasmin has been nominated for the BBC World Music Awards 2005. See: http://www.yasminlevy.net/

Cost: Tickets £14, Concessions £12.

Contact: Queen’s Hall Box Office, 0131 668 2019, or at www.thequeenshall.net

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