SLA Music Teacher receives Pew Fellowship

Hanna Khoury, one of SLA's music teachers, has received a 2010 Pew Fellowship. Mr. Khoury has worked with SLA in the ILP program (2009-2010) and is presently teaching a music class for voice, percussion and instruments. Congratulations to Mr. Khoury. (Read the press release from SLA's music partner, Al-Bustan, below).

We are pleased to announce that the Director of Al-Bustan's Music Program has received a 2010 Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Each year the Pew selects 12 artists in the Greater Philadelphia area who are of exemplary talent. Congratulations to Hanna for a well-deserved award!

We are excited to continue our partnership with Hanna in teaching and presenting even more Arab music over the coming year.

Hanna began teaching with Al-Bustan in Spring 2009: leading a small ensemble for a performance in May 2009, teaching music at Al-Bustan Camp in July 2009 and July 2010, leading a music course for adults, and directing a monthly concert series. Since January 2010 he is the Director of Al-Bustan's Music Program and Music Director of the newly formed Philadelphia Arab Music Ensemble.


Khoury is an Arab-Israeli violinist trained in the classical traditions of Arab and Western music. As the music director of the Arabesque Music Ensemble, Khoury has led nationwide tours performing traditional Arab music in major venues and universities, and has recorded two traditional Arab music albums: Al Fursan Al-Talatha and The Songs of Sheikh Sayyed Darweesh: Soul of People. He is a violinist and Arab music adviser with Intercultural Journeys, frequently performing with cellist Ohad Bar David. Khoury collaborated and performed with major artists including Lebanese superstar Fairuz, Iraqi singer Kazem Al-Saher, Grammy winner Youssou N'Dour, Algerian singer Cheb Khaled, and Tony Award winner Mandy Patinkin. In addition, Khoury can be heard on several pop songs including Grammy nominated song Beautiful Liar(featuring Beyoncé and Shakira) and Love and Compassion(featuring Paula Cole and Kazem Al Saher). He recorded strings for Shakira's Grammy performance of Hips Don't Lie. Khoury collaborated with musician/composer Kareem Roustom on multiple projects, including recording strings for award-winning films Amreeka, Budrus, Encounter Point, and the PBS documentary Mosque in Morgan Town, in addition to releasing an Arabic jazz album with Al-Zafeer Ensemble. A recipient of the America-Israel Scholarship and Qattan Foundation Award, Khoury graduated Magna Cum-Laude with departmental honors from UCLA with Bachelors in Economics and Music Performance, and obtained his Masters degree in Music from Temple University.

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