Beth Beaver Click The Camera For Beth's Video Beth Beaver began playing music in 1996.  She started by playing Riq, a middle-eastern tambourine, with Sazlar a local middle-eastern band.  They told her about Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp in Mendocino, California.  She attended and decided to learn to play the kanun, a zither used predominantly in the near and middle-eastern countries. After taking a couple of lessons she bought one and the adventure began. It is spelled qanun in Arab countries but for purposes of this document will be spelled kanun since her instrument is from Istanbul.   Singing was a natural thing to add. Now it was a matter of learning to sing in languages of different countries, with quarter tones (sounds between notes) common to middle-eastern music and rhythms that are unusual to the American ear.  A challenging task.

    Zack Kear Click the Camera for Zacks Video

Zack Kear, composer and multi-instrumentalist, has a Bachelor of Music Theory and Composition degree from the University of New Mexico where he attended as a Presidential Scholar. While at the University of New Mexico, Zack studied music theory and composition with Paul Lombardi, Patrice Repar, Richard Hermann, William Wood, Jack Douthett and Rahim Alhaj. He has composed works for a wide range of ensembles and instruments including orchestra, wind band, chamber groups, solo keyboard, voice and electronics.Zack plays many keyboard instruments including the piano, harpsichord, synthesizer, organ, and mallet percussion; wind instruments including the western flute, middle-eastern nay, recorders, penny whistle, and clarinet and he is also a vocalist.
 

Zack grew up in Clayton, New Mexico and attended Clayton High School graduating in 2004 as Salutatorian of his class. During his years in Clayton he studied piano with two teachers, gave a solo piano recital, performed in the CHS Wind Symphony on percussion, clarinet, and keyboard/synthesizer, and was an accompanist.

Music awards Zack has receive include the John Philip Sousa Band Award for demonstrated excellence in instrumental music and the CHS Wind Symphony Composition Award for his works, Celtic Dance and The Dark Island. The last two years of high school he auditioned and was selected to participate in the All-State Small School Band performing on mallet percussion. He was also selected to participate in District Honor Band on contrabass clarinet and mallet percussion.

Zack plays many instruments including piano, keyboard/synthesizer, harpsichord, organ, mallet percussion, and wind instruments including western flute, middle-eastern nay, recorders, penny whistle, and clarinet.
Zack performs with many ensembles at University of New Mexico including the Concert Choir, Early Music Ensemble, Mid-East Ensemble and Jazz Bands.
Zack has studied music theory and composition with Mrs. Bennita Skidmore of Clayton, and with Prof. Paul Lombardi, Dr. Richard Hermann, Dr. Patrice Repar and Dr. William Wood from The University of New Mexico. He has composed many different works for a wide range of mediums including orchestra, wind band, chamber groups, solo keyboard works, and electronic works.

Zack is also interested in music history, world music, television and film music. Recently he began to study traditional and contemporary Middle Eastern music with oud virtuoso Rahim Alhaj and now plays in Mr. Alhaj's newly formed Baghdad Ensemble which performs Middle Eastern music. He has a Bachelor of Music Theory and Composition degree from the University of New Mexico where he attended as a Presidential Scholar. He is currently a graduate student and is working on a Master of Music Degree with an emphasis in Composition.

 

    Sam Tynker Click the Camera for Sams Video

Sam Tynker was born into a family circus (Clan Tynker), in Santa Fe New Mexico. He began performing professionally with his family at the age of 11. Over the years he's gotten the opportunity to travel, performing in countries such as Italy, France, Germany, and all across the United States. Middle Eastern drumming has always been a part of his life, first learning from his father Raven Tynker. Over the years he has also studied and been influenced by; Kevin Hartnell, Souhail Kaspar, Raquy Danziger, Bruno Anderson, Kazuki Kozoru, Jess Graham and many others. Sam's passion for the dumbek brings him great happiness that he hopes will carry through to the listener.

 

 

 

Erik TeixeiraClick the Camera for Eriks Video

Erik Teixeira began his music career as a high school student in Albuquerque, New Mexico playing trombone in concert and marching bands, working for three years as a sound recording intern at Mixed Media Productions, and playing rhythm guitar for a garage band called Unlocked Away. After high school, Erik went to Texas Tech University to pursue an electrical engineering degree. At Texas Tech University, Erik continued developing his interests as a musician in more ensembles as a trombone player and as a disc jockey at 88.1 KTXT-FM. After receiving his electrical engineering degree, Erik followed his creative passions and pursued a career as a professional musician. For the next 4 years, Erik played lead guitar for the acoustic folk alternative band The Nisa playing throughout West and Central Texas. The group disbanded shortly after relocating in Austin, Texas. At this point, Erik began playing at different open mics and quickly became a mainstay in Austin's poetry scene playing improvisational guitar behind many poets. This led to short stints in improv bands CRE-8 and Jiva. In the spring of 2004, Erik began playing shows with a local poet/singer/MC named Chris "Shorti C" Edwards and formed the group Diasporic shortly before embarking on an improvised road trip to the west coast. Over the next 3 months, Diasporic played throughout California, Oregon, and Washington. Along the way, the group won second place in Berkeley's music poetry slam and performed during the Oakland Slam Finals competition. Upon returning to Austin, Diasporic played a few shows and began expanding into a formidable funk band with Rudy Eccles on bass. At the end of the year, Erik left the band to pursue different musical avenues including small solo shows as Erik the Orchestra. Eventually, Erik began research into ethnomusicology at the University of Texas. Then in the summer of 2005, Erik returned to the west coast, this time visiting music departments rather than playing shows. After touring through California, Oregon, and Washington universities, Erik again settled in his home town of Albuquerque, New Mexico. This is where Erik seriously began his studies in contemporary world music, music cognition, and applied mathematics at the University of New Mexico. Here, he joined the community-based ensembles, the Gamelan Encantada and the Baghdad Ensemble. In addition, Erik is currently playing oud with Sedaqah and has reformed The Nisa too play shows in New Mexico and Texas.

Michael Garvanian Click the Camera for Michaels Video

Born in Albuquerque, one of Michael's earliest memories is dancing through the local Armenians' houses to the sounds of Avak Akgulian's oud and Jake Carian's doumbek. The party goers would join hands and dance in a ring;  in some of the houses (like ours) the ring would extend in a circle throughout the entire house; they would dance through bedrooms, halls, living rooms.
 
After living on the East and West coasts, Michael and his family returned to Albuquerque in 1993 and have been here since. He has recently taken up the doumbek himself for a coming home of sorts, and is enjoying it immensely, with the help and support of the members of Sadaqah.

Issa Malluf Click the Camera for Issas Video

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If you have a desire to learn more about the music, Beth and her friends in Sadaqah can share their knowledge in a workshop for your budding musicians or private lessons

 

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