Haytham Safia, born in 1980, is an Arab-Israeli from Jerusalem. His passion for the Ud started at an early stage.
In 2001 he made his debut as a performer in The Netherlands where he acquired a firm position in the musical ensemble accompanying the Galili Dance Group; they toured throughout Europe.
In 2002 he graduated with distinction at the Academy of Music and Dance in Jerusalem. With Joshua Samson and Tony Overwater he performed at the Cultura Nova Festival in Heerlen September 2003. In February 24 he played as a soloist with the Holland Symphonia in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
In November 2004 he participated in a workshop in the Rasa (Utrecht) for the Lute festival with another eight musicians from different nationalities.
Haytham Safia is in essence a classical Arabic musician but his compositions and music are influenced by other musical styles such as Persian, Balkan and jazz music.
He established his own group The Haytham Safia Quartet which consists of four musicians from different backgrounds: a Dutch, German and an African. The group performs Haytham’s original compositions that encompass both his performance experience and academic training while still true to his Arab roots.
Discography:
Fresh Moods
Kind of no blues
U’Duet
Hela Hela
No Complication
Lumen
Promises
Ya Dunya
Blossom
Farewell Shalabiye
DU’D
website: haythamsafia.com
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
