Early Music America

Haitham Haidar has a lot to say. The tenor is bold and effusive, and if he feels strongly about something, you’ll hear about it. But he’s also a good listener, attuned to emotions. His debut album, Zaytoun, is a personal project that seeks to unify the two sonic worlds that feel most like home: music of Arab traditions that were the soundtrack to his childhood and the European Baroque that’s at the center of his burgeoning career…The Zaytoun musicians do a remarkable job of bringing the natural compatibility between musical traditions into focus with a sense of ease. This degree of sensitivity and subtlety that pervades Zaytoun is one of its greatest achievements and perhaps one that harkens back to the album’s origin.… [Zaytoun] will certainly subvert some listeners’ expectations.… Despite the very personal nature of this project, its standing within the timeless global tradition of the “artist in search of self” brings forth universal themes that any listener can latch on to.

Read the full interview and feature on Early Music America

—Ashley Mulcahy