Farida Mohammad Ali was born in 1963 in Kerbala, Iraq and has established a reputation throughout the Arab world for her brilliant performances of the classical maqam, a form of Arab art music traditionally sung by men. Her powerful voice and extensive training in the Iraqi and Arab maqams have enabled her to perform some of the most challenging maqams of Arab music. This chamber performance is part of UMS’s season-long programming from the Arab World and features the ensemble that is preserving the spirit of maqam in its traditional form, which dates back to the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia.