From the Gardens of Babylon-Mississauga

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Wafa Al Zaghal

Wafa Al Zaghal
MA in Community Music
Recipient of the John Hobday Award in Arts Management 2021

Wafa was born in Jerusalem, where he grew up to the sounds of classical Arabic music played by his father who was passionate about it. Wafa is a professional Qanun player, an Arabic string instrument. He studied at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music and later became a music instructor there, training and leading many Arabic Music ensembles. He became the Academic Director of the Conservatory from 2011 to 2013, graduating many musicians who are leading the music scene in Jerusalem and Palestine these days. He performed with many successful Arab musicians such as Marwan Abado, Anouar Ibrahim, Simon Shaheen, Ahmad Al Khatib, Charbel Rohana and Nizar Rohana. Wafa played the qanun in Sard (Narration) album by Nizar Rohana and Min Ba’d album by Wissam Murad. In 2013, Wafa moved to Canada and co-founded the Canadian Arabic Orchestra (CAO) with his wife Lamees Audeh. They co-founded the Canadian Arabic Conservatory of Music (CACM) two years later. Wafa is the president and CEO of the CAO and the vice president of the CACM. He has been the lead musician of the Orchestra since its foundation. At his direction, the CAO self-presented more than 150 concerts in Mississauga and all over Canada since 2015 with 70% -100% of sold seats, including four editions of the CAO’s self-organized annual Festival of Arabic Music and Arts. Under Wafa’s leadership, the CAO has grown their audience impacting the lives of over 12,000 patrons in 2019 alone, in addition to 60k+ online viewers in 2020/2021. In 2022 Wafa received his master’s degree in community music from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Ahmed Kufaishi

Ahmed Kufaishi is an Iraqi-born Canadian who discovered his love for classical Arabic music when he attended concerts in Cairo’s opera house and was yearning for these types of cultural events when he made Canada his home in 2002. Ahmed’s journey with the CAO began in November 2015 when he was enchanted by the magic of what Lamees and Wafa were creating, a performance of classical Arabic music in a church in the heart of Toronto.

Through the CAO, Ahmed fulfilled his dream to learn Classical Arabic Violin in 2017, and has supported the team since then through lessons, volunteering, touring with them and finally having the honour of being selected to the CAO Board of Directors.

Ahmed is a civil engineer by training, and has taken IT as a profession. In 2013 Ahmed founded his own firm, Alary Technologies, an Apple-authorised service centre specialising in the support of Apple computers and devices. Ahmed is also a Program Advisory Committee Member at Durham College and is a regular speaker at community events in the GTA.

Mouhanad Youssef

Mouhanad has a degree in Commerce and International Business from Carleton University, Canada. He plays the Oud and is a developing performer. His strategic thinking, team building, management and ability to execute within resource constraints has been proven in almost two decades in business operations and in leading disaster management responses on both a national and international scale. An entrepreneur with a unique ability to empower teams, Mouhanad ensures our projects and overall experiences for our partners, collaborators, artists, and audiences are executed with efficiency and a personal touch.

Lilli Audeh

A teacher, educational consultant and life-long learner, Lilli Audeh has impacted the lives of thousands of students and faculty members. After returning to Canada in 2017 with her 2 sons, Lilli has continuously volunteered in helping the Canadian Arabic Orchestra in any area that requires an open mind and an eye for detail.

With 25+ years of teaching and training experience in Canada and the Middle East, Lilli launched an educational and wellness start-up to help teachers and individuals from diverse backgrounds grow personally and professionally. She is a firm believer in the words of Sarah Dessen: “Music is the great uniter… An incredible force… Something that people who differ on everything and anything else can have in common.”

Lilli’s focus is on positively changing mindsets, one step at a time.

Omar Najjar

An engineer by trade, with a career in civil engineering, woodworking sales and business management, Omar decided to hang his hat and follow his passion and delve into the world of Music. Building on his experience spanning nearly 30 years, most of which focused on business management, Omar brings to the CAO a wealth of knowledge and expertise in planning, sales and management.

Having lived in four continents, Omar’s diverse cultural education, coupled with his life long passion for the performing arts, music, social justice and community service, make for a combination that blends well with CAO’s mission and vision. Omar is an avid volunteer who believes in working to give back to the community and to help forward intercultural dialogue and understanding.

Lamees Audeh

Born in Toronto in 1976, Lamees lived most of her life in Jordan and Palestine. From a very young age, Lamees showed interest in music, playing little pieces by ear from the age of 4. She received her first piano lessons in Jordan at the age of 7; completing the 8 grades of music theory and Practical Examinations with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. Lamees was the first Piano student in Jordan to obtain the Advanced Certificate of the ABRSM and passed it with distinction when she was 20 years old. She pursued her studies with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and became the first student in Jordan to obtain an LRSM in Piano Teaching. In the year 2000 Lamees graduated from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in the UK with a Masters in Music Performance and moved to Palestine to teach Piano, Music Theory, History of Western Music and Piano Music Literature at the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music; Lamees later became the Academic Director of its Jerusalem Branch which held over 20 teachers and 200 students.

Lamees performed in Jordan, England, Scotland, Tunisia, and in various cities in Palestine. She has also composed a few pieces for small ensembles and is currently working on creating a piano syllabus for beginners.

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