Mission
The Maqam Studio aims to ensure the Maqam’s survival and continuity among communities of the Arab and Islamic world and their diasporas, while expanding its possibilities in contemporary musical and artistic forms.
This mission is twofold:
Archiving, documenting, preserving, and teaching the centuries old Maqam music of Iraq and the Middle East.
Creating and commissioning new works that engage with the Maqam toward innovating new musical approaches.
OVERVIEW
The Maqam is a system of musical modes that has been practiced for millennia in North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. It is the music of Arab and Turkic peoples, Kurds, Persians, and the many populations that inhabit this part of the world. It is the living legacy of Mesopotamian and Nile Valley civilizations, and is part of the shared history of humanity.
Maqam is spiritual music, and is used in the sacred music of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish people of the region. It is also performed in secular spheres, traditionally in coffeehouses and private homes. Maqam has had a lasting influence on European, Indian, African, and African American music and is considered as one of the great musical legacies of humanity. Today, Maqam traditions are in danger of extinction.
Preserving knowledge of this great musical heritage is vital, as it represents societies that have experienced great turmoil, wars, and destruction in recent decades, and have been typically underrepresented in cultural spheres, and misrepresented in mass media. Maqam can be an important resource for communities of this region and in the diaspora toward empowerment and affirmation of existence.
Beyond these communities, the Maqam holds enormous potential to enrich the larger world of music, with its use of microtones, highly ornate melodic lines, deep and powerful poetry, and infectious rhythms, all of which combine to create a trance-like state known as tarab, or musical ecstasy.
Maqam is more than mere notes and scales; it is a philosophy of sound.
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Artist and Artistic Director
Composer, trumpeter, santur player, vocalist.
Has performed and taught Maqam internationally for 20 years, preserving its original form and innovating new approaches.
Has raised awareness of Maqam, introducing it to musicians and new audiences.
From 2008-2018 was Music Curator at Alwan for the Arts, NYC’s hub for Arabic culture, presenting the annual MaqamFest.
Brought Hamid Al-Saadi to the United States in 2018 on an Artist Protection Fund Fellowship through the IIE.
Role: artist/composer, curator of programming
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Maqam reciter and Authority
Currently the only living practitioner of Iraqi Maqam who has memorized the entire Baghdadi repertoire.
Authored “Al Maqam wa Buhoor al Angham” (2008) which contains information on the music and poetry of the Maqam.
Recorded and released 10 albums in the 1990s, and is releasing his forthcoming album in 2024.
Composed the first two new Maqamat added to the repertoire in almost a century.
Has taught weekly Maqam Class at Sarah Lawrence College, since 2019
Role: performer, teacher, authority on archive, author of Maqam book
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Advisor
Professor of Sociology at Rutgers, scholar of the Middle East, Islam(s), Feminist movements
Has studied Maqam with Hamid Al-Saadi for five years, and is currently learning from him under a NYSCA apprenticeship fellowship.
Role: providing social and historical context and awareness, Maqam apprenticeship, contact with Iraq-based academic and cultural institutions
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Advisor
Professor of Sociology at Rutgers, scholar of the Middle East, Islam(s), Feminist movements
Has studied Maqam with Hamid Al-Saadi for five years, and is currently learning from him under a NYSCA apprenticeship fellowship.
Role: providing social and historical context and awareness, Maqam apprenticeship, contact with Iraq-based academic and cultural institutions
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Programs & Operations Director
Klaudia Ofwona Draber is a curator, a strategy consultant, and the founder of KODA—a social practice residency for mid-career artists. She has lived and led arts, technology and strategy projects in Europe, Africa, and the United States. Her professional experience includes serving as Faculty at Sotheby's Institute of Art, working as the Head of Public Relations at the Polish Cultural Institute New York, and as a consultant to the British Council Arts. She also worked at UBS, managing global change and local arts CSR projects. Klaudia was the 2021-2022 Helena Rubinstein Fellow at the Whitney Museum ISP Curatorial Studies Program. She is a board member at ArtTable and a mentor at NEW INC. Klaudia holds an MA in Art Business from Sotheby‘s Institute of Art New York. She also holds an MA in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics. Klaudia is a PhD candidate in Practice in Curating at the University of Reading and OnCurating Academy.
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Creative Media & Promotions Coordinator
Buyana Jargalsaikhan is a dynamic content strategist and creative director. Born in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia—where traditional heritage meets contemporary innovation—she developed a distinctive approach to audience engagement through strategic storytelling and visual communication.
After studying Creative Direction & Fashion Styling at Istituto Marangoni in London, Buyana returned to Mongolia to found Gray Minds, the country's first independent digital magazine. This platform showcases her ability to build brand identity, cultivate audience relationships, and develop targeted content strategies in emerging markets. Her coordination skills extend to organizing high-impact events that connect creators with audiences, amplifying reach and fostering community engagement.
To deepen her understanding of art's societal impact, Buyana pursued a Master's in Arts & Cultural Management at Pratt Institute in New York, complementing her practical expertise with a strong theoretical foundation. Her multidisciplinary approach allows her to merge conceptual storytelling with technical precision, effectively translating creative concepts into measurable audience growth and engagement.