Mercury Cafe Klezmer party with Hadgaba.
Meg York
Auroroa Global Fest with Zuruna
Meg York frame drum
Film score recording for Wadi Rum with El Yesfi Samir
Mizel Museum Denver Klez Fest with Hadgaba
Nabin Shrestha
Tabla
Nabin Shrestha, a notable face amongst the Coloradans, is a classical tabla virtuoso. His consistently brilliant and exciting performances have established him as a prominent percussionist in Nepal and the US. He has a deep understanding of different traditional styles of tabla playing and tonal quality. This makes him particularly capable of collaborating seamlessly with musicians and dancers from different genres of music. At the age of eight, Nabin was introduced to the world of music and rhythm through the tabla. He was trained in the tabla through meticulous guidance from Guru Shree Rabin Lal Shrestha and through inspiration from his brother, Rajendra Shrestha. To this day, he views himself as a learner in an ever-expanding exploration of the beauty in musical interpretation. Nabin was awarded an ICCR scholarship to complete a Master’s degree in Music from Gandharva Music University, where he was awarded the Shri Hari Om Trust Award for the highest score. During his training in India, he received an opportunity to further develop his knowledge with some of the greatest musical masters such as Ustaad Shri Faiyaaz Khan and Shri Tansen Shrivastav. Upon completion of his education at Gandharva, Nabin trained with the greatest tabla maestro of all time, Taalmani Pandit Sureshji Talwalkar, in Mumbai.After returning to Nepal, Nabin became a successful performing and recording artist. His original albums include Raaganubhuti (Hindustani Classical), Murchchhana (Jazz Fusion), and Re-drums (Traditional Nepali Drums and Tabla). He was the founder of Murchchhana, a Jazz classical fusion band. Nabin also taught music at Tribhuvan University. Nabin currently resides in Colorado, where he teaches music and performs regularly. He has conducted workshops, lectures, and demonstrations at Colorado College, University of Denver, University of Northern Colorado, University of Colorado Boulder, Naropa University, and the University of New Mexico. He is a founder of Jam Key Jam, a classical fusion band that performs Hindustani music, traditional Nepali music, and fusion. Nabin continues to collaborate with amazing artists from around the world.
Jesse Manno
Strings and vocals
Composer and multi–instrumentalist Jesse Manno was born into a performing arts family in New York City in 1966 and grew up in New York and Colorado. He received his first commission in 1982 and has since created over eighty original scores for dance, theatre, film and multimedia productions, including twenty evening–length pieces. His work has been supported by Meet The Composer, Inc. (a division of the NEA), KRMA Denver PBS TV, The National Guild of Organists, Montgomery Watson Inc., Bates Dance Festival, and the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, among others, and has been presented all across the USA, as well as in Holland, Germany, Switzerland, the U.K., Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Saudi Arabia.
Jesse received a B.A. in Asian Studies from The University of Colorado at Boulder, where he has been music director of the C.U. Dance Department since 1991. In 2002 he became a part–time instructor, teaching one music course per semester. He loves working with many instruments and genres of music, and often incorporates interesting sound environments he has recorded during his travels into his work. He also composes and performs with The Buzz Band (new music on ancient instruments with a characteristic buzzing sound), and more often with Şherefé Balkan/Middle Eastern Ensemble, performing regularly in Colorado, California, and New Mexico.
Recent projects include a stint at BAM in New York with David Dorfman Dance and composer Sam Crawford, a percussive score created on a tower of used car parts for choreographer Gabriel Masson at the Bates Dance Festival, a contemporary ballet soundtrack based on five of Colorado's native birds with Ballet Nouveau Colorado, two works for David Taylor Dance Tours: the "Underwater" and the Persian Atash with local Iranian Musicians.
Several Cds and digital albums of his work are available: Sea Spirits, Music from Theater of the Vampires, Lazer Vaudeville, Rainforest, and others.
Bijay Shrestra
Sitar and Composer
Bijay was born to Tabla Maestro Rabin Lal Shrestha and Sitar player Bina Shrestha. Coming from a musical family, Mr. Bijay lal Shrestha started learning Tabla at the tender age of four under the guidance of his father Mr. Rabin Lal Shrestha and by the time he was 18, he completed masters degree in Tabla. Currently, he is majoring in sitar (Master degree) at Lalitkala campus under the guidance of Sitar Maestra Uma Thapa being the only young artiste in Nepal to have achieved degree in both tabla and sitar.Mr. Shrestha has shared stage with the world-renowned flautist Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia and has following creative albums:• Maestro Duets on Sarod (2012 AD)• Moods of Meed (2013 AD)• Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia Live in Nepal (2014AD)• Abiding (2014 AD)As result of his numerous years of training in both tabla and sitar, Mr. Shrestha’s profound understanding of diverse gharana styles and mastery of technical skill gradually began to resonate through the magical touch of his swift, agile fingers. Today he is hailed as one of the serious, young exponents of classical music, who constantly endeavors to infuse interest and respect for this traditional art in the hearts and minds of the younger generation.He has performed in different European countries (Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Austria and Italy) with his band “Prana Mundi).Currently, He is residing in Colorado, performing and offering sitar lessons.
Dr. Tahra Eissa
Qanun the microtonal lap harp
Tahra Eissa is a Denver-based musician originally from the Chicagoland area. Born to an Egyptian-Armenian household, she was surrounded by music of the Middle East but was originally taught in the Western music tradition on piano, flute and voice. Tahra discovered the joys of performing Middle Eastern music during her undergraduate studies when she took up qanun- the Middle Eastern lap harp. She has since participated in numerous classical ensembles including the Cornell Middle Eastern Music Ensemble and University of Chicago Middle Eastern Music Ensemble as well as a diverse set of takhts ranging from Balkan and Persian music to bluegrass, rock, and gypsy jazz. She has worked under the direction of artists such as Simon Shaheen, AJ Racy, Wanees Zarour, Issa Boulos, Jim Stoynoff, and Ronnie Malley. Currently, she is also involved in the Naghma Fusion Project and North African Al.
Her breathtaking composition, Longing, debuted at Tarab Retreat 2020..
Catrene Eagleton
Ensemble leader
Catrene is a sought after vocalist, author, composer and activist in the Front Range of Colorado originally from Lebanon. She is featured on concerts at the Mercury Cafe, Dazzle Jazz, CU Boulder, Colorado College, CU Denver, Aurora Global Fest, the St. Ravka Lebanese festival, among many other cultural outreach events promoting world peace. She often collaborates with Hal Aqua and the Lost Tribe.
Her Middle Eastern ensemble Zuruna fosters the sensuous rhythms and sounds of music from North Africa, Iraq, Iran, Syria, Turkey, Israel and Palestine. As an Arab Israeli from Haifa, Ms. Malshey is dedicated to promoting songs of peace, love, and healing.
The ensemble includes Annie Aqua (violin), Pete Jacobs (oud), James Messerich (percussion), and Theo Anbacher-Hunt (percussion).
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Recently Catrene was the featured soloist with the Boulder Chorale performing repertoire from Um Kalthum and Fairuz with an all star ensemble.
Eric Zang
Faisal Zedan
In the Beginning was the Beat
Is an Arabic Percussionist, an Arabic drummer and drum teacher. Born in Lebanon and raised in Syria. Faisal plays Derbakki, Riqq and frame drums from Arabic and Middle Eastern music genres. He teaches Arabic drumming traditions focused in Syria and Egypt. He has been teaching and performing a wide range of Arabic, Middle eastern, Central Asian and Eastern European music. He has been residing in California since 1991.
Tarab Retreat has been hosting Faisal Zedan's in person and online classes since 2019. We have an archive of over 400 hours of material. Join his ongoing classes and prepare to be amazed -- we treasure his knowledge of percussion and his warm personality. Classes are intermediate to advanced, on Zoom.