Press kit, Les Arrivants · Press kit, official use
Les Arrivants (The Arrivals) is comprised of Amichai Ben Shalev (bandoneon), Abdul-Wahab Kayyali (oud), and Hamin Honari (percussions), three musicians who settled in Montréal during the COVID-19 pandemic between the summers of 2019 and 2020. Through the lens of this unique moment in history, they met and discovered their new home city as lockdowns and uncertainties permeated their lives. The repertoire Les Arrivants has developed mirrors their resettlement experience. It is informed by the traditions the instrumentalists have mastered throughout their careers – Argentine Tango, Classical Arabic music, and traditional Persian rhythms. It equally reflects the musical possibilities that can only emerge out of a cosmopolitan centre such as Montréal. Les Arrivants have created an introspective sonic experience that depicts the relationships and views of newcomers to Montréal, while channeling complex emotions associated with migration and travel. To date, Les Arrivants has released two albums: “Home” (2022) and “Towards the Light” (2024). Their first album, “Home” received the 2023 Opus Prize - Album of the Year award for World Music from the Quebec Council of Music (CQM). Career performance highlights have been two city tours of Montreal sponsored by the Montreal Arts Council (CAM), a performance and lecture at Carleton College’s Weitz Center for the Arts in Minnesota, playing at the Old Songs Festival in Albany, New York, a symphonic project with the Glacier Symphony Orchestra in Kalispell, Montana, and a tour of Colombia as part of Banco de la Republica’s National Concert Season.
