Ziryab, The Songbird of Andalusia
– SOLO PLAY WRITTEN & PERFORMED BY RONNIE MALLEY
TAKE AN ENCHANTING MUSICAL JOURNEY FROM 9TH CENTURY ISLAMIC SPAIN TO PRESENT DAY AMERICA. ARABIC MUSIC, POETRY, AND SONGS BREATHE LIFE INTO THE STORY OF ZIRYAB, A FORMER SLAVE FROM BAGHDAD, WHOSE MUSICAL ABILITIES BROUGHT HIM FAME THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE EAST, NORTH AFRICA, AND AL-ANDALUS: A LAND WHERE CHRISTIANS, JEWS, AND MUSLIMS CO-EXISTED FOR CENTURIES CREATING A UNIQUE AND DIVERSE SOCIETY. THE PLAY DESCRIBES THE HISTORY OF ZIRYAB, ISLAM IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE AND THE MIDDLE EAST, AND EL OUD – A MIDDLE EASTERN LUTE THAT EVENTUALLY BECAME THE GUITAR. THE STORY ALSO WEAVES PAST AND PRESENT INCLUDING ANECDOTES FROM RONNIE’S OWN LIFE GROWING UP AS A MUSICIAN AND MUSLIM PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN IN THE UNITED STATES. RUNNING TIME: 75 MIN
AVAILABLE FOR: FULL PRODUCTION - STAGED READING - CLASSROOM PRESENTATIONS - MUSIC & THEATER WORKSHOPS - PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - K-12 & COLLEGE LEVEL
“In 75 minutes this Chicago performer takes us back to the ninth century and deep into our own. Ziryab: The Songbird of Andalusia is a welcome, multi-cultural world premiere from Silk Road Rising. Malley’s labor of love testifies to the power of art to make us at home wherever. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED”
“Malley’s musicianship is superb and his interweaving of his own life with the story of Ziryab’s, as well as his highly-informative discourse on the medieval master’s legacy, make for an enlightening performance.”
