On November 1, the string sections of the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO) team up with The Canadian Arabic Orchestra for Crossroads, a concert that includes multiple premieres. Soloists include Charbel Rouhana playing the oud, and guitarist Karla García.
Concerto for Oud, Percussion and String Orchestra by Wanes Moubayed, Conductor is one of the pieces that will be heard on stage for the first time. A work by SPO Conductor Ronald Royer for doumbek and orchestra will also receive its premiere. The full program includes:
- Ottorino Respighi: Ancient Airs and Dances No. 3, for String Orchestra
- Luigi Boccherini: Fandango from Guitar Quintet in D major, G.448
- Luiz Bonfá: (arranged Martin Loomer): Manha de Carnaval, for Guitar and String Orchestra
- Daniel Mehdizadeh: Asrare Azal (based on a poem by Omar Khayyam), for Oud, Guitar and String Orchestra (Premiere)
- Ronald Royer: New Work for String Orchestra and Doumbek (Premiere)
- Wanes Moubayed: Concerto for Oud, Percussion and String Orchestra (Premiere)
- Wanes Moubayed: Longa Shahnaz, for String Orchestra and Doumbek
Orchestras
The Canadian Arabic Orchestra was founded in 2014 to combine the musical worlds of the Eastern and Western traditions. It began earlier, in 2009, with a duo made up of Lamees Audeh and Wafa Al Zaghal, who performed on the piano and the qanun, iconic instruments to the two traditions. Gradually, more and more musicians joined the group and became the Canadian Arabic Ensemble. It was renamed The Canadian Arabic Orchestra to reflect its dual roots, and now operates as a not for profit organization. Wafa Al Zaghal is the President and CEO, with Lamees Audeh as Vice President and Music Director. In addition to a local concert series in the Greater Toronto Area, the Orchestra has toured across Canada and performed in Europe.
The Scarborough Philharmonic (SPO) is celebrating its 45th season in 2025/26. The organization performs both orchestral and chamber music, with a mandate of supporting Canadian composers and their work, along with mentoring young musicians. The SPO makes their concerts accessible to under-served community members with discounted and free tickets, and community concerts. The organization was founded in 1980, and regularly commissions and performs the work of Canadian composers, along with drawing from the traditional classical repertoire.
Composers
Ronald Royer’s music has been performed by over 70 orchestras worldwide, including the international iPalpiti Orchestra in Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles, USA), Sinfonia Finlandia (Finland), Bohuslav Martinu Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Republic), Athens La Camerata (Greece), Joensuu City Orchestra (Finland), and Members of the Wurttemberg Chamber Orchestra (Germany). In Canada, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, Orchestra London, Niagara Symphony, Thunder Bay Symphony and Symphony New Brunswick, among others, have also performed his compositions. Royer has served as the composer-in-residence for Sinfonia Toronto, Mississauga Symphony, Scarborough Philharmonic and the Brantford Symphony. He has served as Music Director of SPO since 2009.
Daniel Mehdizadeh earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Composition from the University of Toronto, and is now based in the Greater Toronto Area. He is currently the music and choir director at Stouffville United Church. Previously, he served as composer-in-residence for the Scarborough Philharmonic Orchestra for a three year term. He is known for his chamber, vocal, and choral compositions, which have been performed across North America and Europe. His music can also be heard on several recordings on the Akashic Classics label.
Violinist, composer, conductor and music educator Wanes Moubayed has more than three decades experience teaching both violin and viola at a variety of institutions that include Arcadia Academy of Music, Sistema Toronto, University Settlement Community Centre, and coaching a string quartet at University of Regina. He currently serves as the Conductor and Artistic Director of the Canadian Arabic Orchestra, where he also contributes as a composer and arranger.
Wanes was born in Syria as an Armenian, and trained as a classical violinist. He founded the Artist’s Project in Syria, which used the Suzuki Method to teach violin to children, and was the concertmaster and artistic director of the Gomidas Chamber Orchestra of AGBU in Aleppo. As a violinist, he has performed at international festivals and concerts in Armenia, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia and the United States.
His Concerto for Oud, Percussion and String Orchestra in three movements is his first substantial work to premiere in Canada.
The Oud
Wanes’ concerto may be the first ever in Canada written for the oud. The Middle Eastern instrument has a short fingerboard, and resembles the European lute in appearance. The oud typically has 11 strings that are grouped into six courses, but may include up to 10 to 13 strings grouped into five to seven courses.
His grandfather, who he never met, was an oud maker, and Wanes was able to source and purchase two of his grandfather’s instruments since moving to North America.
The works spotlights the oud, accompanied by a string orchestra and mix of Western and Eastern percussion instruments, and incorporates melodic elements with Armenian, Arabic, and Western classical roots.
“The oud was always something mysterious for me,” Moubayed says in a statement. “My dream was always to compose a concerto for oud, because the oud — in the Arabic culture — was used as an instrument to accompany singers. It’s not really used as a solo instrument. I wanted to bring the oud in a different way. It’s now at the centre of the orchestra and performs a solo part.”
- Find concert details and tickets [HERE].
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