Meet the Artists

Explore More from This Festival:

Maha Ensemble:
Celebration of Nowruz

7:30 PM / Thu, March 11, 2027
Town Hall Seattle

La Fonte Musica:
The Rise of European Music

4:00 PM / Sun, March 14, 2027
First Baptist Church

Haitham Haidar:
Zaytoun

7:30 PM / Sat, March 13, 2027 / Good Shepherd Chapel

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Tenor Haitham Haidar leads his JUNO Award-nominated project, Zaytoun (meaning ‘Olive’ in Arabic) alongside Rachell Ellen Wong, Dušan Balarin, Amanda Keesmaat, Abraham Ross, and Abdul-Wahab Kayyali. Zaytoun is a captivating collection of beautiful Baroque and Arabic songs, interlaced with poetry and musical improvisations, an exploration of the intersection between Baroque and Arabic music. Whether it be through instrumentation, ornamentation, or vocal production, Zaytoun highlights the natural connections between what we generally view as separate worlds.

“[Haitham Haidar’s] His voice has an unmannered directness which goes straight to the hear… And with four top-flight instrumentalists led by Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, two very different musical worlds become a serene, seamless single one.”
—BBC Music Magazine

Zaytoun pairs Baroque arias and songs by Monteverdi, Purcell and Bach, with the traditional Arabic songs which were Haitham’s first introduction to music. He has added arabic instrumentation to some of these Baroque standards, and even translated Bach’s “Ebarme dich” from Matthäus Passion into Arabic, incorporating Arabic style into the Baroque structure. Alongside the music, is spoken poetry (from Gibran Khalil Gibran’s The Prophet) read over beautifully performed oud improvisation by Abdul-Wahab Kayyali.

“a beautifully concieved programme. The resulting sound world is beautiful. This performance will stay with me for a long time”
—Gramophone Magazine

The Chapel at Good Shepherd Center
4649 Sunnyside Ave N, Seattle, WA 98103
Seating Type: General Admission
Public Transit: #44 stops at 45th & Sunnyside (walk three blocks north on Sunnyside or Corliss); #62 stops on Meridian at 49th & 46th Streets (enter through park on Meridian mid-block or on the SE corner of 50th & Meridian, or walk one long block east on 50th or 46th to Sunnyside). The #26 also stops about five blocks east of Sunnyside, at Latona & 45th or 50th Streets.
Parking: There are free on-site parking lots on the north and south sides of the building. There is also street parking.
ADA needs: The building is wheelchair accessible. Outside the main entrance there is a ramp to the ground floor, and an elevator that goes to the Chapel.
Bathrooms: Available on the same level of the Chapel.