Town Hall Seattle and SAMA: Music + Art present
Global Rhythms: Les Arrivants
Transcending Borders
EVENT NOTES
Lobby doors for this event will open at 6:00 PM. The Great Hall will open for seating at 7:00 PM.
Free and reduced cost tickets made possible in part by
Les Arrivants (The Arrivals) was formed in the fall of 2020, as musicians Amichai Ben Shalev (bandoneon), Abdul-Wahab Kayyali (oud), and Hamin Honari (percussion) were settling into life in Montreal during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the lens of this unique moment in history, as uncertainties permeated their lives, they met and discovered their new home city.
Their repertoire mirrors their resettlement experience, informed by the traditions the instrumentalists have mastered throughout their careers – Argentine Tango, Classical Arabic music, and traditional Persian rhythms. Thanks to the happenstance of meeting and forming a group in Montréal, Les Arrivants have created an introspective sonic experience that channels the complex emotions associated with migration and travel. The music they make together leaves space for the individual skill of each performer to shine, while also building a soaring, charismatic, combined sound.
Philosophically, their approach is similar. While the individual backgrounds of each musician can’t be ignored, it’s what the three can accomplish together that matters most:
“We were not oblivious to the conclusions audiences might reach when they see us — an Iranian-Canadian, an Argentine-Israeli and a Palestinian-Jordanian — together on stage,” the group states on their website. “We were not interested in either using the project to advance a political message, or to use our ‘co-existence’ as a marketing gimmick. What interested us (and still interests us most) is the artistic promise of the project — what we can achieve musically by combining our instruments, our tastes, and our experiences.”
To date, Les Arrivants has released two albums: Home (2022) and Towards the Light (2024). Their first album, Home received the 2023 Opus Prize – Album of the Year award for World Music from the Quebec Council of Music (CQM).
Watch: Les Arrivants – Home | Sofar Montreal
Read More
Amichai Ben Shalev is a bandoneonist, composer, and arranger. He studied bandoneon with Rodolfo Daluisio at the Superior Conservatory of Music of Buenos Aires, where he also taught. He holds a master’s degree in composition from the Université de Montréal, where he is currently pursuing a doctorate. As a composer, he has written works for a wide range of ensembles, including Bandolirium (2017); Détour (2022); The Water Cycle (2023); Mirar–Abrazar–Caminar (2024); and A Groyse Metzieh (2025). In 2026, he was a resident composer for El Sistema-OSM.
Abdul-Wahab Kayyali began his oud studies in 1989 at the National Music Conservatory of Amman, Jordan, under the tutelage of Sakher Hattar. While in Amman, he also studied under Iraqi oud virtuoso Munir Bashir. He has performed widely as a soloist and an ensemble member throughout the Middle East, Europe, and North and South America, and has collaborated with artists and ensembles including Naseem Alatrash and Constantinople, among many others. Abdul-Wahab released his debut solo album Juthoor in 2020. He is also a passionate educator, and his training as a political scientist (Ph.D., 2018) strongly informs his art.
Hamin Honari is an Iranian Canadian percussionist, composer, and specialist in Persian hand drums. Born in Zahedan, Iran, and raised in Canada within a rich musical family tradition, he developed a deep connection to rhythm and Persian music from an early age. Honari has performed with leading artists and ensembles such as Kayhan Kalhor and Constantinople. He is known for his dynamic playing and his ability to bring Persian percussion into dialogue with a wide range of global musical traditions. In addition to his work as a performer, he is the Artistic Director of the New Old World Music Society, an organization that brings together intercultural projects and artists from around the world.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle and SAMA: Music + Art.
Events are offered for informational, entertainment, and educational purposes only. Read Town Hall’s Program Content Policy.
Global Atmosphere
Pre-Show Food and Beverages starting at 6PM
Starting at 6:00PM, mingle in the Lobby and enjoy food for purchase from local vendors. Come early, get some dinner, and immerse yourself in the flavors of the culture before the show.
This is part of the Global Rhythms Series
In-Kind Media Support provided by KEXP.