THE IDAN RAICHEL PROJECT Announces Guests for 1/12 & 13 Performances

TEEV Events, producer of The Idan Raichel Project (concert) have confirmed the participations of three world-renowned guest artists that will make special appearances during both performances at Town Hall on January 12and 13. These artists are Palestinian- Israeli vocalist; Mira Awad, world- renowned Israeli multi-culti jazz artist; Amir Gwirtzman and acclaimed East African vocalist and songwriter; Somi.

Mira Awad is a Palestinian-Israeli, singer, songwriter and actress, living in Israel. Born in Rama village in the Galilee, to a Palestinian father and Bulgarian mother, Mira has collaborated with a wide range of world-famous musicians: Israeli star NOA, Greek singer George Dalaras, hip hop artist Guy Mar, world famous opera star Andrea Bocelli and with legendary Bobby McFerrin. She represented Israel in the Eurovision song contest in 2009 alongside NOA with the song "There Must Be Another Way" from their duet album carrying the same name, released by Universal Music. She was signed as a Sony Spain artist in 2011 and released her second album All My Faces with Spanish musical producer Carlos Jean. Mira is identified internationally with humanitarian agendas, and has dedicated most of her career to raising a call for peace.

Amir Gwirtzman, a world-renowned Israeli multi-culti jazz artist, masters more than 20 different woodwinds from all over the world as a one-man band called Inhale-Exhale. Gwirtzman infuses Inhale-Exhale with a combination of R&B, jazz and rhythms of Cuban jazz, along with Middle Eastern, Gypsy, Jewish klezmer, Armenian, Irish Celtic and Native American influences. Gwirtzman has performed and recorded over the past 3 decades with many artists, such as Sleeping Camels, Philip Glass (notably the Olympic Opening Ceremony of 1996), Mino Cinelu, Johnny Almendra (Ray Barreto & Mongo Santamaria's Big-Band), as well as some of Israel's finest musicians, including Rita, Shlomo Artzi, Rami Kleinstein, Yehuda Poliker, Arik Einstein, Shalom Hanoch, Shlomi Shabbat, Gidi Gov and Ofra Haza.

Somi, an acclaimed vocalist & songwriter, was born in Illinois to East African parents whose careers as diplomats and professors exposed her to music and culture from all over the world. Somi has lived in Zambia, Kenya and Tanzania, and now makes her home in New York City, where she performs regularly. Somi has released four albums, which feature her unique blend of jazz, African music and soul. Often compared to Miriam Makeba and Sarah Vaughn, Somi's rich, unique voice was featured on the last Idan Raichel Project studio album, Within My Walls.

Since bursting onto the international music scene in 2003, The Idan Raichel Project has shattered expectations of Israeli pop with their unique blend of African, Latin American, Caribbean, and Middle Eastern sounds, coupled with a spectacular live show. The project continues to push musical boundaries garnering strong critical praise and winning over audiences worldwide. On January 12 and 13, the complete 12-musician lineup will be headlining two evenings at the prestigious Town Hall in New York City during the APAP conference. The Idan Raichel Project will be performing their biggest hit songs alongside new material from their upcoming album which will be released later in 2013.

Idan Raichel, the creator and leader of the Project, began his musical journey by inviting collaborations from artists of different generations, multiple ethnicities and singing in languages as diverse as Hebrew, Spanish, Arabic, Amharic and Swahili. The resulting albums shattered sales records in Israel, made Raichel his country's biggest

musical breakthrough, and sold over half a million records worldwide. The Idan Raichel Project has headlined some of the world's most prestigious venues, including New York's Central Park SummerStage, Radio City Music Hall and The Apollo Theater, Los Angeles' Kodak Theater, the Sydney Opera House and the Bataclan in Paris. They have also performed across Europe, South & Central America, Hong Kong, India, Ethiopia, Ghana, South Africa, and Singapore to enraptured audiences of all backgrounds.

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