Beth Beaver
Beth began playing music in 1996. She started by playing Riq, a middle-eastern tambourine, with Sazlar a local middle-eastern band. They told her about Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp in Mendocino, California. She attended and decided to learn to play the kanun, a zither used predominantly in the near and middle-eastern countries. After taking a couple of lessons she bought one and the adventure began. It is spelled qanun in Arab countries but for purposes of this document will be spelled kanun since her instrument is from Istanbul.
Singing was a natural thing to add. Now it was a matter of learning to sing in languages of different countries, with quarter tones (sounds between notes) common to middle-eastern music and rhythms that are unusual to the American ear. A challenging task.
Over the years Beth has had the opportunity to study with masters of her art. They include:
Kanun teachers:
Halil Karaduman- Istanbul, Turkey and a member of the Turkish National Ensemble
Goksel Batagir- Istanbul, Turkey and a member of the Turkish National Ensemble
Mimi Spencer- San Francisco, California, American
Jalaladdin Takesh –Pasha’s Restaurant, San Francisco, California-Iran
Ishamel- San Rafael, California-Asyrian/American
Fouad Masuk-San Jose California- Egypt
Jo Chavez- Albuquerque, NM- American
Theory teachers:
Ergun Tamer- Turkish makam theory
Dr. Scott Marcus- Arabic maqam theory-Professor of Musicology, UCLA
Vocal Teachers:
Georges Lammam- Arabic-Lebanon
Fatma Goze- Turkish-Black Sea Area
Meagan Chandler- vocal technique, stylization-American
Ensemble Classes:
Elias Lammam: Arabic-Lebanon
Dr. Jihad Racy: Arabic-Professor of Musicology, UCLA
Naser Musa and Souhail Kaspar-Palestine and Lebanon
Fouad Abdel-Al- Egypt
Mimi Spencer- American