BGIA News and Events

 

Thursday, November 7, 2019

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Bard Globalization & International Affairs Program 108 West 39th Street, Suite 1000-A, NY, NY

Mohamed Alsiadi is a highly accomplished professional musician, a scholar and a teacher. In this event that mixes music and and presentation, he will explore the ways in which music can maintain the memory of a place, especially a place in the midst of conflict. He will be in conversation with Whitney Slaten, assistant professor of music at Bard College.
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Mohamed A. Alsiadi received his B.A. from the Damascus Music Conservatory, where he specialized in oud performance and conducting. He studied with renowned oudist Nadim Al Darwish, the son of composer and scholar Ali Al Darwish, for many years. He performs on an Iraqi oud made by the oud master Yaroub Mohammed Fadel. A regular guest of international festivals both as a soloist and chamber musician, Alsiadi has recently performed at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, the national auditorium in Madrid, the historic Nidaros Cathedral in Norway, GUST University in Kuwait, and Merkin Hall in New York City. Other highlights include his debuts at Vienna Konserthaus in 2012 and Carnegie Hall in 2015 with The Malek Jandali Trio, Skoll World Forum 2016, and Sydney Opera House. Alsiadi is the founder of The Aleppo Ensemble and is presently working to finalize his new album titled "Music of Aleppo". Alsiadi has also directed several concert series and festivals on Arabic music, and he has developed an extensive and exceptionally varied catalogue of Arabic music recordings. At various international conferences, he has presented research on song forms central to Middle Eastern music, namely Arabic-sung poetry called qasida, and the Aleppian Wasla, a song-form that is one of the foundations of Syrian songs.

Alsiadi is also a professor of Arabic Language, Literature and Culture. He is currently the lead professor and director for the Arabic studies program at Fordham University, and he is the chair of the US-MidEast program at the Center for the Study of Genocide and Human Rights at Rutgers University. Over the last two decades, he has provided academic leadership, engaged in discussions and offered advice and support to fellow Syrians on civic society, academia and human rights. Alsiadi has been interviewed and been an analyst on TV and radio for a wide range of media sources including PBS, HuffPost LIVE, Al Jazeera ABC, CBS , and Great Decisions in Foreign Policy. Each year, Alsiadi supports concerts for young audiences, and his performance groups offer master classes and other performance opportunities for our public schools and universities. Alsiadi is a dedicated professor committed to educating our youth about Middle Eastern chamber music and introducing students to the joys of the Aleppian Wasla, a traditional genre of Arab music. Alsiadi currently serves on the faculty of Rutgers University and Fordham University in New York City and teaches master classes in the U.S. and abroad.

Whitney Slaten is assistant professor of music at Bard. Slaten received his BM from William Paterson University. He earned a MA, MPhil, and his PhD in ethnomusicology from Columbia University. His dissertation, "Doing Sound: An Ethnography of Fidelity, Temporality, and Labor among Live Sound Engineers," contributed to scholarship about music, technology, and labor studies. He has worked as a recording engineer and as a saxophonist in the New York City jazz and world music scenes, performing with artists including Babatunde Olatunji and Clark Terry.

This event is free and open to the public by RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/457502551692062/
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Thursday, December 5, 2019

6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Bard Globalization & International Affairs Program 108 West 39th Street, Suite 1000-A, NY, NY

In her 2007 book, “Space as a Strategic Asset,” Joan Johnson-Freese argues that the race for space weapons and the U.S. quest for exclusive or at least dominant ownership of strategic space assets have alienated the very allies that the United States needs in order to maintain its leading role in space exploration. Taking a balanced look at the issues that have contributed to the decline of America's manned space program, such as lack of political support and funding, Johnson-Freese offers not only a critique but also a plan for enhancing U.S. space security through cooperation rather than competition.

Dr. Joan Johnson-Freese is a professor of National Security Affairs at the US Naval War College. She served as Chair of the National Security Affairs Department from 2002-2010. Previously she was on the faculty of the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, the Air War College, and the University of Central Florida.

This event is free and open to the public by RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/1649237821896884/
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