Artists
Poètes et poétesses d'Al Andalus
Amel Brahim-Djelloul
Soprano
Soprano Amel Brahim-Djelloul continues her luminous and singular path, rich in her two cultures. Two new recordings will be released and will punctuate her 2022/2023 season with concerts: "Les chemins qui montent", a program based on songs from Kabylia and compositions by Thomas Keck, and "Croisette", recorded with the Orchestre de Cannes and its conductor Benjamin Levy. We can also hear her with the Paladins of Jérôme Correas, the Debussy Quartet, the Amedyez Ensemble, or in the role of Eurydice (Orphée aux enfers by Offenbach) with Opera Zuid.
A graduate of the CNSMD in Paris, as well as of William Christie's "Jardin des Voix" and nominated in the "Most promising lyrical artist" category of the Victoires de la Musique classique 2007, she quickly sang many roles of the repertoire: Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) at Angers-Nantes Opéra and at the Opéra de Lausanne, Despina (Così fan tutte) at the Opéra de Nice, Servilia (La clemenza di Tito) at the Opéra de Paris and the Festival d'Aix en Provence, but also The Princess (L'Enfant et les sortilèges), Ninette (L'amour des trois oranges) and Suor Genovieffa (Suor Angelica) at the Opéra de Paris, the title role of Messager's Véronique at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Gabrielle (La Vie Parisienne) at Angers-Nantes Opera, Nanetta (Falstaff) at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Adina (L'Elisir d'Amore) and Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) at the Opéra d'Avignon, Andreloun (Mireille) at the Chorégies d'Orange, Hébé, Fatime and Phani (Les Indes Galantes) at the Opéra national de Bordeaux and the Concertgebouw in Bruges, or Drusilla, Amore and Valletto in various productions of L'Incoronazione di Poppea (Opéra de Paris, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, Berlin Staatsoper, Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels, Grand Théâtre de Genève, Opéras de Lille and Dijon), to name a few.
Regularly invited by many orchestras (Orchestre national de France, National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège, National Philharmonic Orchestra of Ukraine, Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, Orchestre des concerts Pasdeloup, Orchestre Symphonique National Algérien, Orchestre national d'Ile-de-France, Orchestre Philharmonique du Maroc...) and ensembles (Les Arts Florissants, Le Poème Harmonique, Les Paladins, Il Caravaggio, 2E2M, Mezwej, Les Talens Lyriques, Quatuor Debussy...), Amel Brahim-Djelloul broadens each season her range of personal projects which often link East and West, such as the programs "L'Orgue du Sultan" (with Achéron and Sultan Veld), "Les 1001 Lunes de la Princesse Boudour" (with Aymeric Lecerf and Nicolas Jouve), the "Populaires" recital (with Nicolas Jouve), "Canciones" (with C Barré) as well as her Mediterranean programs with the Amedyez Ensemble.
Her discography includes numerous opuses, like recitals with pianists Anne Le Bozec ("Les 1001 nuits") and Nicolas Jouve ("Populaires"), as well as a program of works from the Arab-Andalusian heritage ("Amel chante la Méditerranée") adapted by her brother, violinist and musicologist Rachid Brahim-Djelloul, and performed with the Amedyez Ensemble.
Amel Brahim-Djelloul is the artistic director of the association Nour with whom she sets up various projects ranging from teaching to the production of new shows and recordings.
She has been represented by RSB Artists since 2010.
Rachid Brahim-Djelloul
Violon, Chant et Direction
Born in Alger, Rachid Brahim-Djelloul won the frst award in the category violin and chamber music at the Conservatory of Alger and fnished his bachelor of musicology. In France he continues his theoretical and practical apprenticeship (musicology and a French DEA in esthetics, sciences and technologies of arts, award of Violin and award of excellence in chamber music of the CNR de Rueil-Malmaison).
Rachid Brahim-Djelloul worked for several symphonic orchestras. He performed as soloist and in chamber music with the string quartet Hypoténuse. As a brilliant instrumentist of traditional music, he could have been heard with the Ensemble El Mawsili (Arab- Andalousian orchestra), Emmanuelle Drouet, Simon Elbaz or Enrico Macias. He also accompanied theatre pieces of Slimane Benaïssa, in particular « Prophètes sans dieu » which was of great success in the french speaking countries. His collaborations took him to diferent stages in Europe, Africa and Canada.
Rachid Brahim-Djelloul has taken part in numerous recordings of classical and traditional music, as well as jazz and musical. He recorded next to Sandra Bessis, Enrico Macias, Nassima, Michel Deneuve, François Méchali, Idir, Takfarinas, Chérif Kheddam and Adamo.
In his rôle of musicologist he took part in many symposia and radio programs about his work concerning traditional and mediterranean music in France and abroad. He participated in a symposia in Cyprus in the context of « Linguistical lendings, cultural lendings ». Furthermore he collaborates in two works ; one of popular music called''Châabi'' d’Algérie (Ed. El-Ouns/UNESCO) and another one of Arab-Andalousian music (CD interactif/Ed. El Ouns).
After all this expierence, Rachid Brahim-Djelloul founded the ensemble Amedyez with which he likes to let bloom all the richness and diversity of mediterranean music, keen on common resonances. The first project of the ensemble was the performance with his sister Amel Brahim-Djelloul.
Finally he was the founder of a violin class et the ENM in Gennevilliers where he has been teaching music of meditrranean tradition since 2005.
Dahmane Khalfa
Derbouka et Percussions
Born in Alger, Dahmane Khalfa has been swaying to music in his melomatic family of artists ever since early childhood. Next to his four brothers he plays the Derbouka and other percussions. Te Khalfa family has become a group with its own stwle and rytmical innovations in Algeria and Maghreb.
Dahmane Khalfa starts his career with the National Orchestra of Radio and Television in Algeria, and works with the big names of the chaâbi such as Guerrouabi and Chaou. Since then he could have been heard next to great Algerian and international artists like Khaled, Souad Massi, Djamel Allam, Idir, Takfarinas, Safy Boutella, Lounès Matoub, Djurdjura, Sahraoui, Baaziz, Mugar, Steve Coleman or Renaud Garcia Fons in France and in Europe.
He is a part of the ensemble Amedyez, founded by the violinist Rachid Brahim-Djelloul. With the classical singer Amel Brahim-Djelloul this ensemble created a concert « Souvenirs d'Al Andalus » in residence in Espalion after a concter of the Téâtre des Boufesin the North of Paris in November 2007.
Dahmane Khalfa has also performed at the Opéra de Marseille and at the basilica Saint-Denis in « Mozart the Egyptian », a concert which had a great international succes. He wrote some fm music for the cinema : « Salut Cousin », « Le Gone du Chaâba », « Mélodie d'Espoir » et « La Mentale ».
Dahmane Khalfa teaches the Derbouka at the French CAP d'Aulnay-sous-Bois in Paris and gives regular master classes in Europe next to other great percussionists. He has also created a method for Debourka which is on CD, presenting simple rythms of Maghreb (Algeria, Marocco, Tunisia) and the East (Egypt, Syria, Libanon and the Gulf Countries).
Yousef Zayed
Bouzuq et Ûd
Yousef Zayed was born in 1982 in Jerusalem and began playing Oriental percussion instruments at the age of 11. He studied oriental percussion with Yousef Hbeisch at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music in Ramallah, Palestine .
With professional artists like Khaled Jubran, Ahmad alkhatib and Issa Bolous he studied Oud and oriental music theory. In addition to obtaining his BA degree in Media from Birzeit University. Yousef Also plays other stringed instruments such as Buzuoq and Cumbas . Yousef Zayed’s compositions refect his impression about time and places in relation to his feelings and senses.
He has performed numerous concerts with local and international musical groups and artists such as Khaled Jubran, Basel Zayed, Ahmad Alkhatib, Issa Bolous, Nawa, Turab, Karloma, Awj, Te Oriental Music Ensemble, Palestinian youth orchestra PYO, Samer Totah, Lena Chamamyan, Elie Ma’alouf Jazz Quintet, Le Trio Joubran, Samih Choukaer, Abed Azrie, Wassim Qassis, Jameel Al-Sayeh, Sabreen, Smadj, Beit Almusica musical group , Yasamine, Al Funoun Folk dance group and First Ramallah group for music and dance. Zayed worked at the Sabreen Association for Artistic Development and taught oriental percussion in the Edward Said Conservatory .
Currently Zayed is studying Western percussion instruments and music theory at Genevilliers Conservatoire in Paris, France.