Ethan Gans-Morse is co-founder and executive director of Anima Mundi Productions, which is producing a concert at the SOU Music Recital Hall on Dec. 7 at 3 p.m. The concert will be a showcase of "Music of the Middle East" featuring Dr. Shireen Abu-Khader.
Dr. Abu-Khader and Ethan Gans-Morse joined the Jefferson Exchange to discuss the music, a film produced specifically for the concert and the challenges that prevented the USUL Ensemble, co-founded by Abu-Khader, from performing live at the event.
During her residency in Oregon, Dr. Abu-Khader will lead workshops, community engagement activities and performances, culminating in the premiere screening of the USUL Ensemble’s newest film project alongside live presentations of her original compositions and arrangements on Dec. 7.
ABOUT
Shireen Abu-Khader is a Palestinian-Jordanian-Canadian composer, conductor, and music educator whose work bridges Arabic musical heritage with contemporary choral and interdisciplinary expression. Based in Toronto, she is the founder of Dozan World, a platform dedicated to publishing, teaching, and sharing Levantine choral repertoire with global audiences. Her music, rooted in the sonic, poetic, and rhythmic traditions of the Arab world, invites singers into a space of connection, memory, and cultural curiosity.
Abu-Khader's compositions have been commissioned and performed internationally. Known for weaving Arabic modalities with contemporary choral textures, her works such as I Forgive, Nabd, Ma Ziltu Hayyan, and Rumour Mill reflect a distinctive musical voice grounded in both innovation and ancestral resonance.
A sought-after clinician, Abu-Khader has led workshops and residencies with ACDA chapters, university music departments, and community choirs, offering an accessible and authentic approach to Arabic repertoire. She is also the co-developer of the Arabic and Middle Eastern IPA system, a groundbreaking tool enabling choirs worldwide to approach Arabic diction with clarity and confidence.
In addition to her choral work, Shireen is a co-founder, composer, and performer with USUL Ensemble, a Toronto-based group blending Arabic classical tradition with contemporary storytelling.
Ethan Gans-Morse is co-founder and executive director of Anima Mundi Productions. Gans was previously on the Exchange in 2024 to discuss the Ukrainian Cultural Fair.
