Saturday, March 16 at 7:30 pm

The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street), Manhattan Performance Marks the Start of His First-Ever Tour of the United States

The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine and Alwan for the Arts are pleased to present Hamid Al-Saadi, one of Iraq’s foremost purveyors of the revered Iraqi maqam tradition, along with his ensemble, Al-Chalghi Al-Baghdadi, in the first performance of their US tour on Saturday, March 16th, at 7:30 p.m. at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Avenue (at 112th Street), Manhattan.

Hamid Al-Saadi is one of the few vocalists who are keeping the Maqam alive today. The Iraqi Maqam, inscribed as an UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, represents one of Iraq’s richest cultural offerings, developed and refined by generations of Iraqi masters, who have passed on this tradition orally in coffeehouses, courts, and salons over the centuries. The maqam’s sophisticated melodies, infectious rhythms, and eloquent poetry, are a direct reflection of Iraq’s history, geography, culture, and folklore.

This historic performance is a joint product of the Cathedral’s Holy Land Program, a series of conversations, courses, and multimedia experiences bringing together the people of the three Abrahamic faiths, and Alwan for the Arts’s commitment to present the arts and culture of the Arab world to audiences in New York and around the United States.

Tickets are $40 for adults; $25 for seniors, students and Alwan for the Arts members with discount code.