Instagram story viewer> @tayfensemble> Posts
طَيْف(@tayfensemble)'s profile avatar HD Profile

طَيْف

@tayfensemble

730
followers
31
following
T A Y F | طَيْف: maqam music from the SWANA region
📍Chicago
Next show: Sonic Becomings with @sixtyinchesfromcenter at @elasticarts, link below 🎟️
POSTS STORIES REELS
TAYF takes Bucktown Arts Fest! 🌷🐐 Catch Chicago's premier queer maqam ensemble @tayfensemble at the @bucktownartsfest next Sunday, August 30 from 3:00 - 4:00. The outdoor fest is in Holstein Park located at 2200 N. Oakley. Free admission! 📽: @i.b.r._v1 / @recklessdarlingmusic mgmt: @yasmin.zacaria / @biya.biya.productions by @tayfensemble
🌼 SAHRIT SAFFRON 🌼 We still feel so glowy from packing the @co1orclub ballroom for @tayfensemble SAHRIT SAFFRON! The setlist, with arrangements by TAYF founder & director @cmikhail, began with sorrow, righteous indignation, and deep longing for homeland and those that have left us or we have left behind. Pushing forward, it became bittersweet reunions, confusion at how we ended up here, and an affirmation that love surmounts geographical distance. Final joyous songs propeled us into the second half of the night, a dance party with DJ @allisonparssi of SHOKOUFEH fame on decks and a bazaar with local artists and artisans. Visit our YouTube to immerse yourself in our latest shows centering diasporic Chicago artists! _______________________________________ 📸: @heavybutlite 📸: Photobooth by @glittergutsy 🎵: @cmikhail_ @feel_the_beatz @chicagoraqs @recklessdarlingmusic @shamabyad @shaynamei @kayapandantoast 💃: @queenyasmeen.dance @chicagoraqs 💿: @allisonparssi 🛠🎥 Production: @mmaureeen @i.b.r._v1 @c.harliie @sotocuchis @jontan.music 🎤 MC/Producer: @yasmin.zacaria 🎨 Vendors: @jasjyotjasjyot @marenrosenberg @jerusalemshops @aafs_il @aminassweets @biya.biya.productions @cafe.niyyah by @tayfensemble
TAYF spring 🖤 by @tayfensemble
TAYF takes Bucktown Arts Fest! 🌷🐐 Catch Chicago's premier queer maqam ensemble @tayfensemble at the @bucktownartsfest this Sunday, August 30 from 3:00 - 4:00. The outdoor fest is in Holstein Park located at 2200 N. Oakley. Free admission! 📽: @i.b.r._v1 / @recklessdarlingmusic mgmt: @yasmin.zacaria / @biya.biya.productions by @tayfensemble
Meet Sham, our lead vocalist! Sham’s charm, talent, and sensitivity flow through and throughout TAYF’s music, imbuing our sound with tarab— pure musical ecstasy ✨ Sham is a Chicago-based Syrian-American vocalist, born and raised in Damascus. She has been singing since a young age, and her voice carries the depth of diverse cultural and emotional experiences. For Sham, music is a refuge, a constant, and a way to connect deeply with herself and others. She performs across multiple genres, inspired by the rich traditions of her heritage and the wider world of music. She has performed with the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, and several other ensembles in the Chicago music scene. She is the lead singer in TAYF, especially close to her heart, and feels grateful for this path and for the chance to have crossed paths with such wonderful individuals. 📸: @heavybutlite by @tayfensemble
Meet Phaedra! TAYF’s flutist, saxophonist, choir member, and raqs sharqi artist 💃🏻 Phaedra Darwish has been a musician since she started taking lessons at the age of 6 from her mother. She holds a degree in music (primary: saxophone and voice), and is grateful to have traveled the world because of it. She was brought into the world of Arabic music through studying and performing the art of raqs sharqi, and she feels music and dance are wonderful ways to share her heritage as a Lebanese-American. Phaedra plays and dances with many Chicago groups which celebrate the Arab world, such as Surabhi Ensemble, Rocambu Jazz, the Middle East Music Ensemble at University of Chicago, and Music & Dance of the Mediterranean. Being a member of TAYF feels like coming home, and she is grateful to make music with such wonderful people. 📸: @heavybutlite by @tayfensemble
Meet Aliah, our cellist! A founding member of TAYF, Aliah was one of the very first picks when ideating the ensemble 💡 Dr. Aliah Ajamoughli, PhD is a Syrian American ethnomusicologist, cellist, educator. Her musical style intertwines two seemingly opposing worlds: the folk tunes of her fatherland, Syria, with medleys of her Alabama upbringing. This blending of bluegrass and maqam sounds the necessity of revolution, joy, and hope across global systems of oppression. She has studied Western classical cello from Claudia Shelton, Avi Friedlander, and Dr. Williams Grub as well as Arabic maqam practice from Ronnie Malley and Wanees Zarour. She holds a B.M. in cello performance from Butler University as well as an M.A. and PhD in ethnomusicology from Indiana University. Outside of performances, she researches the impact of Muslim artistry on American musics and offers cello lessons. 📸: @heavybutlite by @tayfensemble
Meet Karl, our guitarist, percussionist, and one of our lead singers! Karl originally played with TAYF as a guest artist for our 2024 debut, but quickly became a pillar of our sound with his multi-instrumental skills 🥁 Karl aka Reckless Darling is a Chicago-based musician and educator. He specializes in drums, riq, and guitar. His musician career started at the age of 15 in his home country of Lebanon, where he performed in heavy metal bands. As his tastes matured, he expanded his knowledge to include maqam, rock, jazz, and funk. Reckless Darling has collaborated with a wide array of artists from local indie bands to award-winning educators and international musical acts. Collaborators include: Clarissa Bitar, Ronnie Malley, Wanees Zarour, Billy Joel Jr, Tuvergen, Jamila and the Other Heroes, U of C Middle East Music Ensemble, TAYF Ensemble. 📸: @heavybutlite by @tayfensemble
Meet Shayna, our violinist! Shayna joined in fall of 2024, bringing us her expertise and the most lighthearted excitement for this music 🌷 Dr. Shayna Silverstein is a Chinese-Jewish-American musician and professor of performance studies at Northwestern University. Since her first encounters with SWANA musical cultures while living and gigging in NYC some twenty years ago, she began to study maqam and folk music. Shayna played violin with the Middle East Music Ensemble at the University of Chicago (2003-2012), learned oud and researched dabke in Syria, and attended the Arabic Music Retreat directed by Simon Shaheen. She is also the author of a multiple award-winning book, Fraught Balance: The Embodied Politics of Dabke Dance Music in Syria. Find out more about Shayna’s music and scholarship at shaynasilverstein.com. 📸: @heavybutlite by @tayfensemble
Meet C, our founder, bassist, and choir member! It’s TAYF re-introduction time, as we’ve grown and established our core musicians 🧿 C Mikhail (they/them) is an Assyrian-German-American musician and audio engineer born and raised in Chicago. Since joining the Middle East Music Ensemble and studying with Wanees Zarour, they have specialized in the Arab music tradition of maqam. Their profound understanding of the music theory and arrangement concepts gave made them a coveted bassist in ensembles across the city. TAYF, founded by C in 2024, is an outlet for their creativity, a connector for their community, and a chosen family. They also perform with a wide range of artists from local bands such as Oyeme to international musical acts like the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra. Photo: @heavybutlite 📸 by @tayfensemble
🌙 We’ve got solstice on the mind. Here’s a taste from our celebration in December from BIYA BIYA Productions x Shokoufeh’s Yalda Night Life at @californiaclipper ✨️🎶 @tayfensemble performed Samai Nahawand with a unique orchestration of oud, cello, and daf, featuring musicians C Mikhail, Dr. Aliah Ajamoughli, and Kai Movagh. TAYF is a queer-fronted maqam ensemble that steeps their set in music focusing on the spirit of tarab — musical ecstasy. Their contemporary arrangements of music in the maqam tradition are lovingly swirled with jazz and pop stylings. Watch the full performance on our YouTube channel @biya.biya.productions Song: Samai Nahawand Cello: @feel_the_beatz Oud: @cmikhail_ Daf: Kai Movagh Producers: @yasmin.zacaria & @allisonparssi 📽: @i.b.r._v1 📍: @californiaclipper by @tayfensemble
This drum solo wasn’t perfect. But did it need to be? I said what I wanted to say on the kit and shared it with all those who listened with an open heart and with love. TAYF @ CHOP SHOP! @chopshopchi I teach drums! If you want to apply to classes, the link is in my bio ❤️❤️. Huge love to TAYF ensemble and to my good friend C and amazing musical collaborator @cmikhail_ for holding it down on the bass. Thanks to @i.b.r._v1 for the gorgeous video! Thanka to Yasi and @biya.biya.productions for giving us all those spaces to express ourselves and uphold our musical traditions! #recklessdarling #chicagomaqam #chicago #chicagomusic #biyabiya by @tayfensemble

Download All

Save the photos and videos currently loaded on this page.

0Photos
0Videos
Ready to download 0 / 0

Keep this tab open until your download is ready.
back to up