Palestinian Singer Nibal Malshi to Perform at Roulette in March

This program of Middle Eastern songs will feature the return visit of the exquisite Palestinian singer Nibal Malshi, who has been noted for her evocative vocals. She graduated from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, performed alongside master musicians, and appeared at many prestigious venues. In recognition of her outstanding contributions, she was honored as an "Arab America Foundation 40 Under 40" award recipient in 2023. Her program features a variety of classics from the 1920s, modern Arab music, a tribute to Umm Kulthum on the 50th anniversary of her passing, and an Egyptian highlight. She will be accompanied by Ayman Asfour (violin), Gabriel Lavin (oud - lute), John Murchison (qanun - zither), Bashar Farran (bass), and Gilbert Mansour (percussion). 

Nibal Malshi, born in Haifa and raised in the village of Isfya on Mount Carmel, began singing at the age of five. She has devoted her life to the love of music inspired by many Arab and Mediterranean artists, and has performed in her homeland, Europe (including the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris), and in the US with such noted artists as Simon Shaheen and the National Arab Orchestra. She graduated from the Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem, where she was the first to major in Middle Eastern singing; she also majored in dance, thus earning two bachelor's degrees. She received the Al-Qattan Foundation scholarship for performing arts and was chosen to participate in a dance workshop partnered with Brussels's Royal Flemish Theatre for a month in Ramallah, a Voice for Peace project in Germany, and musician programs in London. She has composed various songs and was named the “Singer of the Year” in 2010 in Haifa. In addition to her work as a musician and a dancer, she is an actress who performed in the 2010 film Jerusalem Bride directed by Sahira Dibas, and in plays using the poetry of Samih' Al-Qasem, Shakeeb Jahshan, and Khalil Gibran.

Ayman Asfour is an Egyptian violinist and composer from Alexandria who is currently based in Brooklyn. He has worked with many musicians in the Arab world, Europe and the US, and has mastered many styles of music, including oriental Arabic music, Egyptian folk, Western classical music, and jazz. He has worked with such artists as Hazem Shaheen, Ali Eissa, Ghalia ben Ali, Maurice Louca, Natiq Aziz, and Huda Asfour and Amir ElSaffar, as well as Irish fiddler Frankie Gavin, Finnish jazz drummer P.O. Jorgens, and German oud player Roman Bunka. He has also worked as a composer for many projects, including theater and dance, in Egypt.

Gabriel Lavin, an American musician and scholar based in Brooklyn, has performed over the past 14 years throughout the Arab world and the US with such ensembles as Naseer Shamma's oud orchestra, the Los Angeles Arab Orchestra, the New York Arabic Orchestra, the Oman Oud Association, the Layali Ensemble, and Jihad A. Racy's Near East Ensemble at UCLA. In 2023, he received his Ph.D in Ethnomusicology from UCLA, and, in 2024, received a degree in oud performance and teaching from the Bait Al Oud Conservatory in Abu Dhabi under the guidance of oud master Pr. Sherine Tohamy. He also studied at Bait Al Oud in Cairo and the Oman Oud Association in Muscat, and received a Fulbright Scholarship to study oud in Oman during 2014-2015.

John Murchison is an in-demand artist for traditional Arab music in the US. He is known for his active role in several musical circles, performing primarily in pop and musical theater, jazz, avant-garde music, and traditional music from the Middle East and Africa. An acclaimed multi-instrumentalist, he performs on bass, qanun, gimbri, oud, ney, and percussion.  He is co-founder of Brooklyn Maqam, an organization dedicated to presenting, promoting, and building community around Arab music in the metropolitan area. He has performed in a variety of theater productions from downtown to Times Square, including Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812 and In the Green.

Bashar Farran, a Lebanese musician, composer, arranger and teaching artist, has been playing the bass and teaching since 2004. He holds a bachelor's degree in musicology and a master's degree in music education, and has performed with Firaz Zreik, Taktouka, Alif, and Nibal Malshi, among others.

Gilbert Mansour, a brilliant percussionist who graduated from Berklee College of Music, has performed with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra and accompanied renowned Middle Eastern artists around the world. He played on the Middle Eastern version of The Voice and The Idol. Mansour has shared the stage with many acclaimed artists such as Luis Enrique, Simon Shaheen, Marcel Khalife, Trio Joubran, Pepe de Lucia, Gian Marco, Javier Limon, and Susana Baca. A versatile percussionist, he  incorporates Arabic, flamenco, classical, Afro-Cuban, Brazilian, and Indian percussion instruments into various musical genres. 

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