April 2, 2013— The University of Utah’s Tanner Humanities Center and College of Fine Arts are proud to welcome the musical ensemble Al-Andalus as part of the Tanner Center’s Artists in Residence program. Al-Andalus will give a performance featuring Spanish and North African music and dance on Thursday, April 18 at Noon in Libby Gardner Hall, 1375 Presidents Circle. This event is free and open to the public, with no tickets required for admission. The concert is co-sponsored by Nadeya Al-Jabri, the University of Utah’s Middle East Center and the MUSE Project.

In their concert, Al-Andalus will present an exotic blend of dance, vocals and instrumentals reflecting the Jewish, Christian and Muslim cultures of Medieval Spain and North Africa. This performance will seek to remind audience members of the creative unity of different people and the healing power of music.

The Al-Andalus ensemble (musicians Tarik Banzi, Julia Banzi and Razgui Boujemaa, vocalist Emily Miles and dancer Cristiana Chacon) soulfully merges classical, jazz and contemporary music with musical traditions from the Middle East, North Africa and Europe. The award-winning group is internationally known for their creative fusion of the exquisite and raw while treating listeners to a confluence of the best of the East and West.

The Tanner Humanities Center’s new Artists in Residence program brings important musicians to Utah to lecture, teach and perform culturally significant music on campus and in the community. Bob Goldberg, professor of history and director of the Tanner Humanities Center, describes the program as, “a meaningful step toward establishing connections between Utah’s citizens and cultures around the world through the universal languages of music and dance. We at the Center are excited to have Al-Andalus as our first Artists in Residence.”

The Obert C. and Grace A. Tanner Humanities Center was founded in 1988 by the faculty of the College of Humanities at the University of Utah. For 25 years, the Tanner Center has fostered innovative humanistic inquiry and scholarship. The center’s programs, which include public lectures and symposia, humanities education for teachers, and fellowships create opportunities for lively dialogue among scholars, students and citizens on issues (from ancient to contemporary) pertaining to the human condition.

For more information on the Artists in Residence program, contact the Tanner Humanities Center at 801.581.7989 or jelstein@hum.utah.edu.