Christine Horner, copy editor

The Annual Summer Concert put on by Yalla Drum, an ensemble of musicians who play both traditional and contemporary songs on Arabic drums organized by New Arab American Theater Works, was a beautiful and spirited performance that I had the pleasure of attending on Aug. 30 in New Brighton, Minnesota. For those who aren’t familiar, Yalla Drum is dedicated to teaching any willing participants the art of Arabic drumming. The members range in skill level from beginner to intermediate, but every time I’ve heard them play, they always sound so coordinated! 

Having attended events organized by New Arab American Theater Works in the past, I knew that this concert would be exceptional. According to their website, “New Arab American Theater Works was founded as a collective of Minnesota based Arab, Arab American and Muslim Theater artists with a wide variety of strengths as writers, performers, educators and theater makers who have been presenting theater locally, nationally and internationally for over 20 years.” This collective maintains a membership with the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Theater Makers Alliance, and it gives back to Minnesota’s Arab and Muslim community in a number of ways. They provide clarity about Arab countries through outreach and education, dispelling harmful stereotypes about Muslims, Arabs and the Middle East. 

As for the concert itself, I was correct in knowing that it would be exceptional. The audience clapped along to the beat of each song and some even danced along. At one point, an audience member even jumped in with what appeared to be a ney, which is a flute that is commonly used to play Southwest Asian and North African music. They offered their musical talents when Khaldoun Samman, the Yalla Drum director, encouraged the crowd to sing during the next song. Based on the appearance of the instrument and my personal experience attempting to learn classical flute as a child, I assume that it must be very difficult to play. However, he seemed to play it with ease, harmonizing perfectly with the keyboard player and the drummers. 

Sana Wazwaz, Augsburg alum and Yalla Drum’s administrative assistant, provided a statement to the Echo on behalf of Yalla Drum, “By celebrating the Middle East’s rich arts and music, Yalla Drum defies the orientalist narrative that the Middle East is nothing but a desert of perpetual war. Our ensemble reclaims and highlights the beautiful culture of the Middle East; a culture that is so often distorted, exotified or at best — erased,” said Wazwaz. “What we’ve cultivated is one of the few programs nationally which aims to train community members of all walks of life to cultivate MENA arts. The Annual Summer Concert unites the Twin Cities community for an opportunity they seldom have — to hear authentic Middle Eastern music led by MENA peoples themselves.”

I thoroughly enjoyed this concert, and I’m sure anyone who attends a Yalla Drum performance will too. For those interested in learning how to drum or attending a future performance, you can find information on the New Arab American Theater Works website. I highly recommend getting involved with this exceptional group!