San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
) is an American composer, pianist, impresario, music producer, and promoter best known for her efforts to fuse
Middle Eastern
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...
music with contemporary
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
and
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...
. In the 1980s she began working as an impresario and promoter, music producer, record executive and or representative for diverse artists. She spent several years as the vice president of Ark 21/ Mondo Melodia starting in 1999, and she has helped produce albums with
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
,
Cheb Mami
Mohamed Khelifati ( ar, محمد خليفاتي, ), better known by his stage name Cheb Mami ( ar, شاب مامي, link=no, , born 11 July 1966), is an Algerian musician and singer-songwriter. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic and sometim ...
,
Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen (Arabic: سيمون شاهين, he, סימון שאהין; born Tarshiha, Upper Galilee, Palestine, 1955) is a Palestinian-American oud and violin player and composer who holds Israeli citizenship.
At the age of 2, Shaheen moved ...
Qantara, and
Cheb Khaled
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...
. After her work at Ark 21, Elder founded Dawn Elder World Media & Entertainment Enterprises, an entertainment firm based in California.
Elder has developed and directed specials by networks such as
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
,
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
,
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, and
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
. She founded the annual International Friendship Festival in California, Peace Through Music, Team Up America, and several other cultural festivals and conferences in the United States. In 2012 Elder co-founded the label World Harmony Studios and DE Music in Santa Barbara. That year Elder brought together Voices of Afghanistan, an Afghani ensemble featuring vocalist Ustad Farida Mahwash, rubab master Homayoun Sakhi, and The Sakhi Ensemble,
Angelique Kidjo
Angelique or Angélique may refer to:
* Angélique (given name), a French feminine name
Arts and entertainment Music
* Angélique (instrument), a string instrument of the lute family
* ''Angélique'', a 1927 opéra bouffe by Jacques Ibert
* ...
, and other notable artists, and helped compose several tracks on the group's debut album.
She was the international talent advisor to the MasterPeace concert in 2014, also co-writing the Arabic adaptation of the
Bob Seger
Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...
Concert of Colors
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...
. Among other events, in 2014 and 2015 she created the concept for and "masterminded" the When Music Matters concert as the finale of the larger
Abu Dhabi Festival Abu Dhabi Festival is an annual cultural festival in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإ ...
. A periodic public speaker, she continues to manage and teach at the Ultimate Music and Vocal Summit, a children's vocal and music educational program she founded in 2015.
Early life, education
Dawn Elder was born and raised in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. She is of
Middle Eastern
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (European ...
and
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
ancestry; her mother is from
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, while her father is of
Palestinian
Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...
descent. Elder was named after the Lebanese diva
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
, whose first name means "early morning" in Arabic. Elder listened to
rock and roll
Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
, and studied
classical piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...
. Elder attended the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
in the early 1980s, pursuing a double degree in
biochemistry
Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...
and music. She took a hiatus to direct and produce a series of festivals, artists, and events in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...
promoting world, Latin and rock artists. She later graduated from the University of California with a degree in Music Education.
Career
Early management, festivals (1990–1995)
In 1990 Elder began representing American actor
Woody Harrelson
Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor and playwright. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, in addition to nominations for three Academy Award ...
. A year later she helped direct and produce the ''Halloween ABC Special – Woody Harrelson'' on
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
, one of her first television jobs. Also in 1990 she began working with
Mike Love
Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys with his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasal tenor and occasional bass-bari ...
from
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
, and two years later she started managing his son
Christian Love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the lov ...
and his musical group Alex's Cane. She also worked for
Arlo Guthrie
Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10, 1947) is an American folk singer-songwriter. He is known for singing songs of protest against social injustice, and storytelling while performing songs, following the tradition of his father, Woody Guthrie. Gut ...
on a two-year project. In 1991 she started developing and co-organizing the first bi-annual conference T.E.A.M EXPO, which drew 100,000 participants. With the name standing for 'Teaching. Entertainment. Arts. Music.,' she worked with the T.E.A.M. organization until 2000.
Elder produced the first P.A.T.H.E.S. Festival, which was sponsored by the Preservation of Artistic Traditional Heritage Entertainment Society, in May 1995. According to the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' about the events, "when
Latin rock
Latin rock is a term to describe a subgenre blending traditional sounds and elements of Latin American and Hispanic Caribbean folk with rock music. However, it is widely used in the English-language media to refer any kind of rock music featurin ...
took off as a popular strain in California music, lderpioneered a Spanish dance festival and concert events to celebrate the Latino history of the Central Coast." Also in 1995, Elder coordinated the Project Teach Tomorrow’s Teachers scholarship program, working with Mike Love on fundraising concerts. In 1995 she also became artistic manager and representative for bands such as George Clinton and
Parliament-Funkadelic
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive fu ...
. By the end of 1995 she had produced hundreds of concerts and festivals, including programming the entertainment for the US Latin world festival Old Spanish Days.
International Friendship Festival (1996)
Elder is the founder of the International Friendship Festival in California. The origin of the project was in late 1996, when songwriter
Michael Sembello
Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song " ...
asked Elder for help planning a Santa Maria video shoot for his song "One Planet One People." The project expanded, and the ''Los Angeles Times'' states "What became known as the International Friendship Festival aspired to bring to one California venue as many ethnicities and bands as possible." Also in the mid-1990s, Elder was introduced to Arab composer musician
Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen (Arabic: سيمون شاهين, he, סימון שאהין; born Tarshiha, Upper Galilee, Palestine, 1955) is a Palestinian-American oud and violin player and composer who holds Israeli citizenship.
At the age of 2, Shaheen moved ...
and such groups as the Kan Zaman Community Ensemble in
Arcadia
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
, an "all-volunteer Arabic orchestra" who create symphonic sounds based on ancient musical traditions. She also learned that her namesake
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
was visiting Los Angeles. When Elder mentioned she was "trying to introduce Arabic music to a massive L.A. audience," Sabah offered to perform for free. For the first event, the ''LA Times'' stated "Sabah assembled an all-Arab American orchestra to back her up, performed to a packed Southern California crowd and added her voice, along with the Kan Zaman players, to a live rendition of Sembello's song about global oneness. The moving event was a turning point in Elder's career, and a milestone for L.A.'s
Arab American
Arab Americans ( ar, عَرَبٌ أَمْرِيكِا or ) are Americans of Arab ancestry. Arab Americans trace ancestry to any of the various waves of immigrants of the countries comprising the Arab World.
According to the Arab American Inst ...
community." She continues to organize the events.
Televised programs and Ark 21 (1997–2003)
She helped on the ''One Planet One People'' global broadcast and
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
special from 1997 to 1998, and also in 1998 she worked on the first Arab-American Music, Arts, and Literature (AMAL) Awards, with over 50,000 attendees at the live broadcast and events in
Washington D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...
Also in the 1990s she started producing and managing artists such as
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
,
Wadi al-Safi
Wadih El Safi ( ar, وديع الصافي, born Wadih Francis; November 1, 1921 – October 11, 2013) was a Lebanese singer, songwriter, composer and actor. He was a Lebanese icon and the forefather of the country's musical culture. He was the ...
,
Michael Sembello
Michael Andrew Sembello (born April 17, 1954) is an American singer, guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Sembello was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his 1983 song " ...
,
The Bridge The Bridge may refer to:
Art, entertainment and media Art
* ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US
* Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists
* ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...
,
Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen (Arabic: سيمون شاهين, he, סימון שאהין; born Tarshiha, Upper Galilee, Palestine, 1955) is a Palestinian-American oud and violin player and composer who holds Israeli citizenship.
At the age of 2, Shaheen moved ...
,
Mohammed Wardi
Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi ( ar, محمد عثمان حسن وردي; 19 July 1932 – 18 February 2012), also known as Mohammed Wardi, was a Nubian Sudanese singer, poet and songwriter. Looking back at his life and artistic career, Sudane ...
P-Funk
Parliament-Funkadelic (abbreviated as P-Funk) is an American music collective of rotating musicians headed by George Clinton, primarily consisting of the funk bands Parliament and Funkadelic, both active since the 1960s. Their distinctive ...
,
Cheb Khaled
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...
,
Cheb Mami
Mohamed Khelifati ( ar, محمد خليفاتي, ), better known by his stage name Cheb Mami ( ar, شاب مامي, link=no, , born 11 July 1966), is an Algerian musician and singer-songwriter. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic and sometim ...
, and certain projects for
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
. Elder helped arrange and co-produce the 1998 album '' Mohammed Wardi with the African Birds'' by
Sudan
Sudan ( or ; ar, السودان, as-Sūdān, officially the Republic of the Sudan ( ar, جمهورية السودان, link=no, Jumhūriyyat as-Sūdān), is a country in Northeast Africa. It shares borders with the Central African Republic t ...
ese singer-songwriter
Mohammed Wardi
Mohammed Osman Hassan Salih Wardi ( ar, محمد عثمان حسن وردي; 19 July 1932 – 18 February 2012), also known as Mohammed Wardi, was a Nubian Sudanese singer, poet and songwriter. Looking back at his life and artistic career, Sudane ...
, which won a National Award of Excellence. The following year she produced a second album by Wardi, titled ''Longing for Home''. In 1999, she created and produced the Debka for Peace event in Los Angeles, which focused on the Arab folk dance
debka Debka may refer to:
* Dabke
''Dabke'' ( ar, دبكة also spelled ''dabka'', ''dubki'', ''dabkeh'', plural ''dabkaat'') is a Levantine Arab folk dance. Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other j ...
. Featuring the Adam Basma Dance Company, the televised version won a Tele Award.
In 1999, Ark 21/Mondo Melodia CEO Miles Copeland hired Elder as the label’s vice-president, and she brought a number of her artists to the label. The following year she began producing a large number of albums on Ark 21, starting with ''Historic Live Recording of Arabic Masters'' by Two Tenors & Qantara (
Wadi al-Safi
Wadih El Safi ( ar, وديع الصافي, born Wadih Francis; November 1, 1921 – October 11, 2013) was a Lebanese singer, songwriter, composer and actor. He was a Lebanese icon and the forefather of the country's musical culture. He was the ...
and
Sabah
Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah borders the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and the North Kalimantan province of Indone ...
), ''The Lion Roars Live'' (Hakim), and ''Blue Flame'' (Simon Shaheen & Qantara). She recorded, arranged, and produced the albums, also serving as executive producer and directing the live TV broadcast for ''Historic Live Recording of Arabic Masters''. That year she also was the executive producer on an album by
Kazem Al Saher
Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai (born September 12, 1957), better known by his stage name Kadim Al Sahir ( ar, كاظم الساهر}), is an Iraqi singer and composer.
He typically performs with an orchestra of twenty to thirty musicians on Arabic ...
. She also continued to work on non-Ark 21 albums. Among other projects, in 2000 she stated managing a US concert project for Lebanese singer
Fairuz
Nouhad Wadie' Haddad ( ar, نهاد وديع حداد, ; born November 21, 1934), known as Fairuz ( ar, فيروز, ; also spelled Fairouz, Feyrouz or Fayrouz), is a Lebanese singer. She is considered by many as one of the leading vocalists a ...
, as well as cultural projects for
Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...
.
Production and songwriting (2001–2004)
In 2001 her Ark 21 productions included an album by Hakim, ''The Lion Roars''. Other Ark 21 albums she produced in 2001 included ''Nomad: Best of Amina'' by
Amina Annabi
Amina Annabi ( ar, أمينة العنابي, Amīna al-ʿAnnābī; born 5 March 1962) is a French-Tunisian singer-songwriter and actress. She finished second in the tied 1991 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Rome, after a countback, scoring equ ...
, ''Blue Flame'' by
Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen (Arabic: سيمون شاهين, he, סימון שאהין; born Tarshiha, Upper Galilee, Palestine, 1955) is a Palestinian-American oud and violin player and composer who holds Israeli citizenship.
At the age of 2, Shaheen moved ...
and Qantara, and ''Dellali'' by
Cheb Mami
Mohamed Khelifati ( ar, محمد خليفاتي, ), better known by his stage name Cheb Mami ( ar, شاب مامي, link=no, , born 11 July 1966), is an Algerian musician and singer-songwriter. He sings and speaks in Algerian Arabic and sometim ...
, which peaked at #7 on
Top World Music Albums
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...
chart. Also in 2001 she was executive producer on the compilation ''Desert Roses and Arabian Rhythms, Vol. 1,'' and '' Desert Roses and Arabian Rhythms, Vol. 2'' in 2002 as well. According to ''
The Boston Phoenix
''The Phoenix'' (stylized as ''The Phœnix'') was the name of several alternative weekly periodicals published in the United States of America by Phoenix Media/Communications Group of Boston, Massachusetts, including the ''Portland Phoenix'' a ...
'' in 2001, "this past summer, two savvy world-music labels, Putumayo and Six Degrees, released Arabic-music samplers. But most of the credit for the Arabic-music boom has to go to the California-based Ark 21 imprint Mondo Melodia."
In 2001 she also developed and produced the first United States tour and release for ''
Raoui
''Raoui'' (راوي "storyteller") is the first album of Souad Massi, the Algerian-born, Paris-based singer-songwriter, released by Wrasse Records in 2001. It was given a three-star rating by AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Gu ...
'' by Algerian musician
Souad Massi
Souad Massi (سعاد ماسي; born August 23, 1972), is an Algerian Berber singer, songwriter and guitarist. She began her career performing in the Kabyle political rock band Atakor, before leaving the country following a series of death threa ...
. Also that year, she was traveling in the United States with eighteen musicians, about to embark on a ten-city US tour with Khaled and Hakim, when the tour was cancelled because of 9/11. She stated the celebratory nature of the tour would have been inappropriate, and travel had become unsafe. The tour was successfully rescheduled for February 2002. Also in 2002 she started managing special projects for
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
, assisting him in coordinating the inclusion of Middle Eastern artists into the
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental and lobbying organisation based in Cologny, canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German engineer and economist Klaus Schwab. The foundation, ...
. She worked with Quincy Jones again in 2004 to coordinate including world artists into We Are the Future, a program of performances in Rome including artists such as Khaled of Algeria,
Kadim Al Sahir
Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai (born September 12, 1957), better known by his stage name Kadim Al Sahir ( ar, كاظم الساهر}), is an Iraqi singer and composer.
He typically performs with an orchestra of twenty to thirty musicians on Arabic ...
of Iraq,
Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen (Arabic: سيمون شاهين, he, סימון שאהין; born Tarshiha, Upper Galilee, Palestine, 1955) is a Palestinian-American oud and violin player and composer who holds Israeli citizenship.
At the age of 2, Shaheen moved ...
of
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, and Riffat Sultana of Pakistan. It was broadcast live on several international networks, including
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. Elder also co-wrote with
Rod Temperton
Rodney Lynn Temperton (9 October 1949 – 25 September 2016) was an English songwriter, producer and musician.
Temperton was the keyboardist and main songwriter for the 1970s pop music, disco and funk band Heatwave, writing songs including "St ...
the lyrics to a composition by Simon Shaheen ("Everyone Everywhere") originally written as an instrumental piece for the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
.
In 2003, she co-wrote the song "Love and Compassion," which featured Kazem Al Sahir performing his first English and Arabic song with
Paula Cole
Paula Cole (born April 5, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. After gaining attention for her performances as a vocalist on Peter Gabriel's 1993–1994 Secret World Tour, she released her first album, ''Harbinger (Paula Cole album), Harbing ...
and
Karina Pasian
Karina Pasian (born July 18, 1991) is an American singer.
Life and career
Karina Pasian was born in New York City and is of Dominican Republic, Dominican descent. Her first language was Russian, and she can sing in six other languages, includ ...
. She co-produced the song with
KC Porter
Karl Cameron Porter, known as ''K.C'' (born June 27, 1962), is an American record producer, singer-songwriter, arranger and composer, winner of six Grammy Awards and two Latin Grammy Awards. Porter has worked on more than 40 albums with sales in ...
. The track was featured on the CD ''Love and Compassion'' by the National Arab American Museum, which Elder compiled. She also co-produced “We Want Peace,” featuring
Lenny Kravitz
Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk.
Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...
, Kazem Al Sahir,
Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen (Arabic: سيمون شاهين, he, סימון שאהין; born Tarshiha, Upper Galilee, Palestine, 1955) is a Palestinian-American oud and violin player and composer who holds Israeli citizenship.
At the age of 2, Shaheen moved ...
and
Jamey Haddad
Jamey George Haddad (born July 2, 1952 in Cleveland, Ohio) is an American percussionist who works primarily in the fields of jazz and world music and specializes in hand drums.
Biography
Haddad is of Lebanese ancestry. From the age of four, he b ...
. Originally, the Redondo Beach-based youth organization Rock The Vote released the track in February 2003. It was re-released in 2006, and Elder produced for the ''Rock the Vote and the Olympics'' CD it was included on.
Cheb Khaled
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...
, and that year she also started working with
Def Jam
Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
The ...
recording artist
Karina Pasian
Karina Pasian (born July 18, 1991) is an American singer.
Life and career
Karina Pasian was born in New York City and is of Dominican Republic, Dominican descent. Her first language was Russian, and she can sing in six other languages, includ ...
, DJ
Cheb i Sabbah
Cheb i Sabbah"Jewish DJ Captivates Arab Ears" ''
Bassam Saba
Bassam Saba (26 October 19584 December 2020) was a Lebanese musician and a promoter of Arabic music in the west. He was a co-founder of the New York Arabic Orchestra and the director of Lebanon's national conservatory of music. He died of complica ...
. Elder was an executive producer, co-producer, and co-writer on the 2005 song "Love to the People," a duet between
Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
and Algerian vocalist
Cheb Khaled
Cheb (; german: Eger) is a town in the Karlovy Vary Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 30,000 inhabitants. It lies on the river Ohře.
Before the 1945 expulsion of the German-speaking population, the town was the centre of the German-s ...
. The ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' called the track "American ethnic fusion," and "Love to the People"'s album ''Peace Through Music'' was nominated for a
Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
. She co-founded Ultimate Music and Vocal Summit program in 2005, which offers "mentorship, vocal and music industry coaching, songwriting, performance and producing" for children looking to pursue careers as vocalists.
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
dubbed Elder one of the most influential producers of her time in 2006.
From 2007 to 2008 she co-conceived and produced The Sudanese Music & Dance Festival, which brought together Sudanese artists from diverse regions to perform in New York,
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
, and
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, including for free at
Central Park Summerstage
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
. After managing
Enzo Avitabile
Vincenzo "Enzo" Avitabile (born 1 March 1955) is an Italian saxophonist, composer and singer-songwriter. He plays a fusion of world music and jazz fusion music, rooted in Neapolitan traditions and characteristic dialect.
Born in Naples, Italy, ...
, in 2008 she produced a music special for StaytunedTV. In 2009 she began handling special projects in the Middle East for
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
, and also organized the event SAHRA in association with the National Arab Medical Association. Featuring artists such as Khaled,
Assala Nasri
Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri ( ar, أصالة مصطفى حاتم نصري; born 15 May 1969), commonly known as Assala ( ar, أصالة), is a Syrian musical artist. She is one of the most popular and famous Arab singers.
Early life and career ...
and
Rida Al Abdullah
Rida Al Abdulla ( ar, رضا العبد الله; also spelled ''Rida Al Abdallah'', ''Reda Al Abdullah''; born 5 July 1966) is an Iraqi singer and actor. He gained attention across the Arab world for his singles "Bo'dak Habibi", "Qasawa", "Dha ...
, funds were raised for Children's Medical Aid in the Middle East. In 2010 she organized and co-produced all the international artists for a recording and video shot at the Capitol Recording Studios entitled ''Citizens of the World'' with US producer
Spencer Proffer
Spencer Proffer (born Salek Profesorski, December 25, 1948) is an American media and record producer. He is the CEO of Meteor 17, a convergence media production company based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Proffer produced the firs ...
, with artists such as
Cheng Lin
Cheng Lin (; born 1967) is a solo singer from China. Her first involvement in the music industry was at the age of 13 when she released the track "Little Horn". Since then she has sold 25 million albums across Asia. Cheng's latest album was ...
brought on.
Elder organized the Citizens of the World event in 2010 as well, followed in 2011 with the first concert in the Middle East for
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
' Global Gumbo All Stars. She also co-produced the All Stars' song project " Tomorrow-Bokra." On November 21, 2009, MGM Grand and Dawn Elder World Entertainment presented the world premier of their Sahra multi-media event, intended to showcase Arabic culture. The event was headlined by Khaled,
Assala Nasri
Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri ( ar, أصالة مصطفى حاتم نصري; born 15 May 1969), commonly known as Assala ( ar, أصالة), is a Syrian musical artist. She is one of the most popular and famous Arab singers.
Early life and career ...
, and Rida Al Abdulla, with performances by K.C. Porter and
Karina Pasian
Karina Pasian (born July 18, 1991) is an American singer.
Life and career
Karina Pasian was born in New York City and is of Dominican Republic, Dominican descent. Her first language was Russian, and she can sing in six other languages, includ ...
, and held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. In support of
Universal Children's Day
Children's Day is a commemorative date celebrated annually in honor of children, whose date of observance varies by country.
In 1925, International Children's Day was first proclaimed in Geneva during the World Conference on Child Welfare. Sin ...
, all profits went to children's charities in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly NAAMA Foundation (National Arab American Medical Association) and ACCESS (Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services).
Dawn Elder World Media, Voices of Afghanistan (2012–2013)
After her work at Ark 21, Elder founded Dawn Elder World Media & Entertainment Enterprises, an entertainment firm based in California. As one of her first projects with the new company, in 2012 she worked with
Phil Ramone
Philip Ramone (né Rabinowitz, January 5, 1934March 30, 2013) was a South African-born American recording engineer, record producer, violinist and composer, who in 1958 co-founded A & R Recording, Inc., a recording studio with business par ...
,
Don Was
Don Edward Fagenson (born September 13, 1952), known professionally as Don Was, is an American musician, record producer and record executive. Primarily a bass player, Was co-founded the funk-rock band Was (Not Was). In later years he produced s ...
, and Sam Nappi to organize the One World Concert. The event was opened by the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
in the
Carrier Dome
The JMA Wireless Dome, originally the Carrier Dome (1980–2022) and colloquially called "The Dome," or more recently "The JMA Dome," is a domed sports stadium in Syracuse, New York. Located on the campus of Syracuse University in the University ...
, and had around 27,000 attendees. Elder wrote one of the main songs, "A New Day on the Horizon," which was introduced by
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
and performed by TEAL-ONE 97, a band of young Middle Eastern artists. She also coordinated the performance of Afghani artist Ustad Farida Mahwash at the event, which was seen by 44 million viewers.One World Concert /ref> She was a co-producer for the 2012 compilation album '' Desert Sunsets: World Fusion Rhythm & Grooves.'' In 2013 Elder adapted the lyrics for the Arabic version of "
White Rabbit
The White Rabbit is a fictional and anthropomorphic character in Lewis Carroll's 1865 book ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''. He appears at the very beginning of the book, in chapter one, wearing a waistcoat, and muttering "Oh dear! Oh dear! ...
Mark Batson
Mark Batson is an American producer, musician and songwriter. He has worked on albums by artists including Alicia Keys, Dave Matthews Band, LeAnn Rimes, Anthony Hamilton, Eminem, India Arie, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Maroon 5, Skylar Grey, Grace Pott ...
has suggested using non-English lyrics, and the film's music supervisor contacted Elder. The album went on to be nominated for a
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...
for best compilation soundtrack.
In 2012 Elder and Sam Nappi founded World Harmony Studios-DE Music Records in New York and California. That year Elder brought together Voices of Afghanistan, an Afghani ensemble featuring vocalist Ustad Farida Mahwash, rubab master Homayoun Sakhi, and The Sakhi Ensemble. The group focuses on contemporary music and "a blend of
ghazals
The ''ghazal'' ( ar, غَزَل, bn, গজল, Hindi-Urdu: /, fa, غزل, az, qəzəl, tr, gazel, tm, gazal, uz, gʻazal, gu, ગઝલ) is a form of amatory poem or ode, originating in Arabic poetry. A ghazal may be understood as a p ...
, Afghan folk songs imbued with
Sufi
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...
mysticism." They had their first tour in the fall of 2012, and performed at The One World Concert, which was opened by the
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...
. The group's 2013 debut album, '' Love Songs for Humanity'', was recorded with Elder and Sam Nappi at World Harmony Studios, and Elder helped compose several of the tracks. According to
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
, ''Love Songs for Humanity'' "is a mix of Central Asian art music, folklore and classic popular songs."
Recent projects (2014–2016)
As of 2014, Elder was developing several new festivals, along with continued work with artists including
Assala Nasri
Assala Mostafa Hatem Nasri ( ar, أصالة مصطفى حاتم نصري; born 15 May 1969), commonly known as Assala ( ar, أصالة), is a Syrian musical artist. She is one of the most popular and famous Arab singers.
Early life and career ...
,
Simon Shaheen
Simon Shaheen (Arabic: سيمون شاهين, he, סימון שאהין; born Tarshiha, Upper Galilee, Palestine, 1955) is a Palestinian-American oud and violin player and composer who holds Israeli citizenship.
At the age of 2, Shaheen moved ...
,
Kadim Al Sahir
Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai (born September 12, 1957), better known by his stage name Kadim Al Sahir ( ar, كاظم الساهر}), is an Iraqi singer and composer.
He typically performs with an orchestra of twenty to thirty musicians on Arabic ...
,
Alphonso Johnson
Alphonso Johnson (born February 2, 1951) is an American jazz bassist active since the early 1970s. Johnson was a member of the jazz fusion group Weather Report from 1973 to 1975, and has performed and recorded with numerous high-profile rock and ...
, Bassam Saba & the New York Arab Orchestra, Ustad Farida Mahwash, Voices of Afghanistan,
Enzo Avitabile
Vincenzo "Enzo" Avitabile (born 1 March 1955) is an Italian saxophonist, composer and singer-songwriter. He plays a fusion of world music and jazz fusion music, rooted in Neapolitan traditions and characteristic dialect.
Born in Naples, Italy, ...
,
Amina
Aminatu (also Amina; died 1610) was a Hausa Muslim historical figure in the city-state Zazzau (now city of Zaria in Kaduna State), in what is now in the north-west region of Nigeria. She might have ruled in the mid-sixteenth century. A controver ...
,
Souad Massi
Souad Massi (سعاد ماسي; born August 23, 1972), is an Algerian Berber singer, songwriter and guitarist. She began her career performing in the Kabyle political rock band Atakor, before leaving the country following a series of death threa ...
, and others. In May, she collaborated with Quincy Jones on the Global Gumbo Group in Association with Dawn Elder music group. The group performed in
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
with musicians such as
Siedah Garrett
Deborah Christine "Siedah" Garrett (born June 24, 1960) is an American singer and songwriter who has written songs and performed backing vocals for many recording artists in the music industry, such as Michael Jackson, the Pointer Sisters, Brand N ...
,
Naturally 7
Naturally 7 is an American music group with a distinct a cappella style they call "vocal play," which, according to group leader Roger Thomas, is "the art of becoming an instrument using the human voice to create the sound." They simulate the so ...
,
Patti Austin
Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter.
Music career
Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...
,
Alfredo Rodriguez
Alfredo (, ) is a cognate of the Anglo-Saxon name Alfred and a common Italian, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish language personal name.
People with the given name include:
*Alfredo (born 1946), Brazilian footballer born as Alfredo Mostarda Filho ...
Richard Bona
Richard Bona (born 28 October 1967) is a Cameroon-born American multi-instrumentalist and singer.
Early life
Bona Penda Nya Yuma Elolo was born in Minta, Cameroon, into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a y ...
and
Lionel Loueke
Lionel Loueke (born 27 April 1973) is a guitarist and vocalist born in Benin. He moved to Ivory Coast in 1990 to study at the National Institute of Art.
Biography
Loueke grew up in what he has described as a family of poor intellectuals in the W ...
.
As of 2014 she is working, writing and producing two new albums and an event for MasterPeace featuring international celebrities. She was the international talent advisor to the MasterPeace concert that year, and Dawn Elder World Entertainment produced the event, bringing in artists such as Riffat Sultana, Assala Nasri, Andy to perform on September 21, 2014. In 2014, Elder and Hanin Omar co-wrote the Arabic adaptation of the
Bob Seger
Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...
song " Turn the Page." The song was performed at the
Concert of Colors
A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...
at Orchestra Hall in Detroit, on July 7, 2014.
In 2015, she created the concept for and "masterminded" the When Music Matters concert as the finale of the larger
Abu Dhabi Festival Abu Dhabi Festival is an annual cultural festival in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإ ...
, an
arts festival
An arts festival is a festival that can encompass a wide range of art forms including music, dance, film, fine art, literature, poetry and isn't solely focused on visual arts. Arts festivals may feature a mixed program that include music, lite ...
and
cultural festival
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival co ...
that "aims to promote cross-cultural understanding and support regional cultural production." Serving as artistic and music producer for the event, she booked artists such as
Marcus Nand
Marcus Nand (born Merseyside, England) is a guitarist, singer-songwriter, producer, and sound engineer best known for his work with flamenco guitar. After learning rock, blues, and flamenco in Spain in his youth, he has been based in Los Angel ...
to perform the concerts, as well as a variety of world music artists. In 2016 she co-wrote the track "Only Human," recorded by musician Ty Waters, along with Waters, Michael Jay, and Randy Waldman. Elder recorded and produced the track along with others such as Waldman and Kenny Aronoff. Waters had previously graduated from the Ultimate Vocal Music Summit.
Ultimate Vocal Music Summit
Elder cfounded the Ultimate Music and Vocal Summit in 2005. The program offers "mentorship, vocal and music industry coaching, songwriting, performance and producing" for children looking to pursue careers as vocalists. Each summit lasts three to five days, with a team of coaches offering both classes and individualized sessions at CenterStaging studios in
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
. Vocalists are also filmed performing with a live band. The first summit had keynote speakers such as
Rickey Minor
Rickey Minor is an American bass player, music director, composer and music producer. He was the musical director and bandleader on ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' from 2010 to 2014, taking over after Kevin Eubanks left.
Minor worked as musi ...
and
Kenny Aronoff
Kenny Aronoff (born March 7, 1953) is an American session drummer.
Early life
Aronoff grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts He developed an interest in music at an early age and gravitated to the drums as "drumming was one hundred percent ene ...
. She also co-founded and joined the Titanium Arts Collective, leading a group of producers, music executives, musicians, vocalists and celebrity vocal coaches who teach the curriculum of the Ultimate Music and Vocal Summit. Vocal coaches have included
Seth Riggs
Seth Riggs (born September 19, 1930) is an American singer, actor, and vocal coach. He has created the vocal technique "Speech Level Singing","Singing seminar scheduled Aug. 28", ''The Herald-Palladium'' (August 20, 1999), p. 6. and has worked wit ...
,
Margareta Svensson Riggs
Margareta Svensson Riggs (born Ulla Margareta Elisabeth Svensson; April 22, 1968 in Varberg) is a Swedish singer, pianist, songwriter, actress, voice teacher, vocal coach and television personality.
Early life
Already as a five-year-old, Svensson ...
, and the late Jeannie Deva among others.
Personal life
Dawn Elder is based in Santa Barbara as of 2006, though she frequently travels internationally for work.
Awards and nominations
Discography
Albums
Singles
Television production
Elder has directed, developed, or produced for the following television features:
*1989–1996: ''Old Spanish Days'' (
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
,
KEYT
KEYT-TV (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Santa Barbara, California, United States, serving the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California as an affiliate of American Broadcasting Company, ABC, CBS, and MyNetworkTV. It ...
)
*1989–2000: ''
Kenny Loggins
Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...
’s Christmas Unity Telethon'' (ABC, KEYT)
*1991: ''Halloween ABC Special – Woody Harrelson'' (ManlyMoon Dog)
*1995-to present: International Friendship Festivals (annual event)
*1997–1998: ''One Planet One People'' (global broadcast,
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...
special)
*1999: ''AMAL Awards: Arab American Music, Arts and Literary Awards: live from the Ronald Reagan Building, DC'' (ANA/MBC)
*2000: ''The Two Tenors of Arabic Music'' (LBC International)
*2003: ''
Kazem Al Saher
Kadim Jabbar Al Samarai (born September 12, 1957), better known by his stage name Kadim Al Sahir ( ar, كاظم الساهر}), is an Iraqi singer and composer.
He typically performs with an orchestra of twenty to thirty musicians on Arabic ...
and
Sarah Brightman
Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer, actress and dancer.
Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, ...
Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...
'' (
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
special)
*2007, 2008: ''Sudan Its Music and Its Arts'' (
Link TV
Link TV, originally WorldLink TV, is a non-commercial American satellite television network providing what it describes as "diverse perspectives on world and national issues." It is carried nationally on DirecTV (ch. 375) and Dish Network (ch. ...
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
/
BBC TV
BBC Television is a service of the BBC. The corporation has operated a public broadcast television service in the United Kingdom, under the terms of a royal charter, since 1927. It produced television programmes from its own studios from 19 ...
special)
*2010: ''SAHRA – World Special'' ( MGM Grand-Mirage, various networks)
*2010: ''Citizen of the World'' (PBS special)
*2014: ''Sahra'' ( MGM Grand-Mirage, various networks)
Saudi Aramco World
''Aramco World'' (formerly ''Saudi Aramco World'') is a bi-monthly magazine published by Aramco Services Company, a US-based subsidiary of Saudi Aramco, the state-owned oil company of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The first issue of the magazine a ...
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...