Inspired by Middle Easten coffee house culture that encourages guests to enjoy the latest news, music, poetry, and stories, Al Qahwa (“the coffee house” in Arabic) is a six-piece folk group that blends traditional Arabic music with original compositions. The band performs Sufi devotional love songs, popular folk music, and classic Egyptian songs. Al Qahwa includes Maryem Tollar on vocals, riqq (Arabic tambourine), and qanun (Arabic table harp); Ernie Tollar on wind instruments; Demetri Petsalakis on oud (Arabic fretless lute); Naghmeh Fahrahmand on percussion; Waleed Abdulhamid on bass and vocals; and Lauren Barnett on back-up vocals and sax. Their latest release Weyn Allah (Where Is God?) was nominated for the 2024 Oliver Schroer – Pushing The Boundaries Canadian Folk Music Award and the 2023 Folk Music Ontario ACTRA RACS Award for Best Recording Artist.
In addition to the 2 evening concerts on July 8 and 9 at 7:30 p.m., Al Qahwa will do a Noon hour performance on July 9, 2025.
All performances – FREE