Departure: Iraqi Songs Of Love and Longing

The Iraqi Maqam Ensemble was founded in 1989 in Baghdad as continuation of The Iraqi Musical Heritage Group by the late Munir Bashir, the famous ud player and teacher. The new ensemble, founded by Mohammad Gomar, has dedicated itself to reviving the classical Iraqi maqam and other traditional Iraqi music. The group is fronted by the distinguished female singer Farida Mohammad Ali. Her distinctive style and voice are very well suited to sing maqam. Farida & The Iraqi Maqam Ensemble have performed on festivals in Kuwait, Russia, Tunesia, Jordan and other Arab countries, USA, Canada, Belgium, UK, Germany, in addition to the Netherlands where they are now based.