World Music Institute to Present Sachal Ensemble, Yasmine Hamdan and DakhaBrakha This Fall

World Music Institute opens the 2017-18 Counterpoint series with three November shows:

- The Sachal Ensemble presents Songs of Lahore on Sunday, November 5, 2017, 7:30 p.m. at NYU Skirball (566 LaGuardia Place, Manhattan). A concert inspired by the acclaimed eponymous documentary, which tells the story of The Sachal Ensemble as they struggle to survive in the oppression and brutality of modern day Pakistan. Featuring Works by Mancini, Brubeck, and Grusin blend with Pakistani traditions. Tickets: $40. Co-presented with NYU Skirball. Pre-performance Q&A with the artists, moderated by folklorist Naomi Sturm of Staten Island Arts at 6:30pm.

- Yasmine Hamdan will perform on Thursday, November 16, 2017, 8:00 p.m. at (le) poisson rouge (158 Bleecker St, Manhattan). The Lebanese singer-songwriter is hailed as Arabic music's exciting new voice. Tickets: $25 advance / $35 day of show, 18+. Standing room with limited unreserved seating. Presented in association with Le Poisson Rouge.

- And DakhaBrakha is set for Sunday, November 19, 2017, 8:00 p.m. at Littlefield (635 Sackett Street, Brooklyn). Theatrical and eccentric quartet from Kiev that reshapes ancient and contemporary Ukranian music. Tickets: $25 advance / $30 day of show, 21+. Standing Room Only.

MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

The Sachal Ensemble perform Song of Lahore, inspired by the acclaimed documentary film of the same name, which tells the story of The Sachal Ensemble as they struggle to survive in the oppression and brutality of modern day Pakistan. After releasing a number of South Asian classical and folk albums with little fanfare, they put out an album covering Western jazz standards with their traditional instruments. Their rendition of Dave Brubeck's Take Five went viral, earning them worldwide recognition and an invitation from Wynton Marsalis to perform at Jazz at Lincoln Center. In this cross-cultural, genre-bending concert, works by Mancini, Brubeck, and Grusin blend with Pakistani traditions on sitar, flute, sarangi, and tablas, capturing music as the universal language, a bridge across divides and between cultures.

Lebanese singer-songwriter Yasmine Hamdan is hailed as "Arabic music's modern voice" (The New York Times). She first emerged onto the music scene with Soapkills, the iconic underground indie electronic band she co-founded in Beirut in the late '90s. She has a personal, modern take on Arabic pop-while her vocals are connected to traditions of Arabic music, she takes a fresh and unconventional approach and draws elements from contemporary Western electronic, pop and folk music. Yasmine has lived in many countries and has been immersed in many cultures, and thus has learned to create from a hybridized point of view. Her songs show her interest in exploring encounters with different cultures, and where the encounter with Arabic music becomes effortless.

DakhaBrakha is a quartet from Kiev, Ukraine, that reshapes ancient and contemporary Ukrainian music. The band also adds rhythms of the surrounding world into their music-such as accompaniments by Indian, Arabic, African, Russian and Australian traditional instrumentation-which create their bright, unique and unforgettable sound. Created in 2004 at the Kyiv Center of Contemporary Art "DAKH" by the avant-garde theatre director Vladyslav Troitskyi, the theatre work left its mark on the band's performances and their shows have never been staged without scenic effects. With one foot in the urban avant-garde and the other in Ukrainian village culture, the group's self-proclaimed "ethno-chaos" is a refreshingly novel vision of Eastern European roots music.

ABOUT WMI (www.worldmusicinstitute.org) - Founded in 1985 as a not-for-profit, World Music Institute (WMI) has served as one of the leading presenters of world music and dance within the United States.

WMI is committed to presenting the finest in traditional and contemporary music and dance from around the world with the goal of inspiring wonder for world cultures through music and dance. WMI aims to enrich the lives of people living in New York by promoting awareness of other cultures and their traditions. WMI collaborates with community organizations and academic institutions in fostering greater understanding and appreciation of the world's cultural traditions and presents at venues throughout the city.

Under new leadership since 2015, its 30th anniversary season, World Music Institute has introduced an ambitious expansion of concert offerings that include contemporary, experimental and avant-garde presentations, as well as the traditional music that WMI has long been known and admired for. In addition, the institution is thrilled to have launched new partnerships with BAM, 92nd Street Y, SummerStage, Merkin Concert Hall, National Sawdust, Storm King Art Center, Le Poisson Rouge, Littlefield and Drom-while continuing partnerships with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Town Hall, Symphony Space, French Institute Alliance Francaise, and Apollo Theater (the annual Africa Now festival).

WMI has presented more than 1,500 concerts and events featuring artists from more than 100 countries across all continents. Through powerful programming, WMI is creating a movement that promotes awareness and engagement of other cultures, helping to encourage deeper understanding of communities around the globe.