THE ENSEMBLE AND ITS MISSION: Founded in 2006, Id-Dinja ensemble (pronounced id dinya; meaning: the world in Maltese) presents concerts of predominantly 20th century and contemporary music by established and emerging composers from around the world – from the Americas and Europe to Asia and Africa. Its programs celebrate the diversity in styles and musical traditions bringing a global perspective to music.

BACKGROUND: Originally founded by three classical musicians based in New York City, the ensemble’s founding members- Maltese flutist Laura Falzon, Korean pianist Jihea Hong-Park, and Liberian soprano Dawn Padmore, brought a passion for music, performance, and pride in their musical heritage. Under the artistic and music direction of Laura Falzon, the ensemble’s format and size varies being dependent on the specific repertoire and program being presented. Collaborations have also included programs with non-western instruments and musicians such as with the Turkish Ud player Munir Beken and the Indian tabla player Dibyarka Chaterjee. Since Id-Dinja ensemble’s debut concert in 2006 in New York City, the ensemble has performed works by varied composers including Luciano Berio, Kevin Volans, Shirish Korde, John Mayer, Halim El-Dabh, John Corigliano, Franghiz Ali Zadeh, Akin Euba, Joshua Uzoigwe and many others.

THE ENSEMBLE AND ITS MISSION: Issa Sonus is a newly formed music ensemble based in New York City which examines music cross-culturally in context of an ever more connected world. Bringing together a vibrant group of performers and composers who share a wealth of music achievements, Issa Sonus musicians hail from renowned conservatories and universities, including the Juilliard School, the London College of Music, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and Columbia University. They have performed across the world and are featured as soloists as well as members of orchestras and ensembles. With a rich repertoire including numerous world premieres, Issa Sonus musicians are passionate for the development and advocacy of new music, but also recognize the importance of the many music traditions that they share.

Since the ensemble’s debut concert in New York City, the ensemble has performed works by varied composers including Alan Hovhaness, Behzad Ranjbaran, Munir Nurettin Beken, Heitor Villa Lobos, Manuel Maria Ponce, Astor Piazzolla and others.

Laura Falzon and Ud player and composer Munir Nurettin Beken first performed together at Harvard University in a concert entitled Cross-Cultural encounters in music: There is no harmony in unison. The concert took place in the Braun Room, Andover Hall of the Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts on Friday, May 26, 2006. The concert was presented by the International Society for Phenomenology, Aesthetics, and Fine Arts, on its 11th Annual Conference.

Composer and Ud performer Münir Nurettin Beken is a professor of theory and composition in the Ethnomusicology Department at UCLA. His career spans theory, composition, ethnomusicology, and performance. His compositions range from a state-commissioned ballet suite for orchestra, to music for film and television, for which he has won various awards. His scholarly work focuses on modal theory as well as research on musical globalization and the phenomenology of music. Beken has published in Ethnomusicology, a premier journal in the field, and contributed to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. He is one of the founding members of the State Turkish Music Ensemble. As a soloist on the ud, he has performed in venues across the U.S. and has recorded a solo CD with Rounder Records.

This duo reflects the mutual musical interests that Falzon and Beken share, both in the context of their Mediterranean background, and more so through their active work within the field of Mediterranean music. The Duo is currently developing a repertoire of works with the intent of commissioning new works and recording them on CD. Their repertoire spans across standard, traditional and contemporary.