Yalla Drum Ensemble
YallaDrum! Ensemble
YallaDrum! Ensemble
YallaDrum! Ensemble
YallaDrum! Ensemble
New Arab American Theater Works program Yalla Drum teaches local community to play traditional Arabic percussion instruments in an ensemble environment, and provides an opportunity for the larger Twin Cities to interact with our rich traditions. These percussion instruments have existed for many centuries in South West Asia and North Africa, played by Muslims, Christians, Copts, Druze, Jews and Turks.
Yalla Drum ensemble will grow by continuous training, and also by adding more drummers to the group as we expand. We strive to pass our rich traditions onto future generations, offering them the opportunity to experience the music in and from our communities. We believe that creating spaces to share our multiple traditions strengthens solidarity with each other.
2024 Season Drummers
Bottom row (seated: left to right):
Laszlo Jentes, Sana Wazwaz, Robert Lehmann, Laila Sahir, Hanan Wazwaz, Alejandro Soto-Bonilla
Middle row (seated left to right):
Tamara Fakhoury, Bonnie Berquam, Khaldoun Samman, Hend Al-Mansour, Audrey Keirstad
Top Row (standing left to right):
Enas Mustafa, Rachel Milloy, Josh Spitzer-Resnick, Alana Erickson, Cathy Petersen, Meredith Aby-Keirstad, Laila Sabouni Musalatti, Whitney Terrill, Su Hwang, Andrea Shaker, Tarek Aboueid
Lead Drum Instructor
Khaldoun Samman is widely known as a local master of Arab percussion who has been teaching Arabic drumming in the Twin Cities for the past several years. Growing up in Zarqa Jordan, his favorite memories of childhood usually involved listening to the beautiful sounds of Arabic music. When Khaldoun’s family moved to New Jersey, a lot of this came with them. Khaldoun has been studying Arab percussion intensively over the past 13 years traveling across the United States and to Jordan to study with the masters of Arabic drumming. He has performed widely in the Twin Cities, including venues like the Science Museum in St. Paul, the Festival of Nations (multiple performances), the Fringe Festival in Minneapolis, as well as in Mizna sponsored events, and in several local Twin Cities Arab weddings.