Premieres Saturday, December 5 at 5 p.m. on WLIW21
Airing nationwide on public television (check local listings)

An uplifting and majestic, musical journey presented in an epic concert event, filmed in HD at one of the largest remaining Roman amphitheaters in the world

“The emerging prince of world music” –All Music Guide
“One Night worth a thousand nights” –Al Ghad Daily Newspaper (Jordan)

Described as a “piano prodigy” by People, Zade Dirani, known as ZADE (pronounced zād), writes from the heart and plays with a passion and purpose beyond his 29 years. No stranger to U.S. audiences, ZADE’s albums have spent months on the U.S. Billboard charts – beginning in 2003 with his self-titled debut – and his wild popularity in Jordan helped his albums reach No. 1 on the Jordanian Album Charts. Premiering nationwide August 2009 on public television (check local listings), ZADE – One Night in Jordan: A Concert for Peace marks the U.S. TV debut of the Jordanian composer. Recorded June 19, 2008 at the 2,000-year old Roman Amphitheatre in Amman, Jordan, ZADE’s new concert spectacular showcases his soaring compositions in a performance with some of the world’s finest musicians, including London’s renowned Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the prestigious London Voices Choir and an all-star rock band from Los Angeles. Acclaimed guest musicians include virtuoso violinists Karen Briggs and Charlie Bisharat, Ramon Stagnaro on Spanish guitar, and world music woodwind maestro Pedro Eustache, who have appeared in many PBS specials, including Yanni and Andrea Bocelli concerts.

Inspired by the anthems of the great film composers and his homeland’s natural beauty, Jordanian composer, pianist and producer ZADE creates epic cinematic music that unites and inspires people across all cultures. While The Washington Post called ZADE a “gorgeous pianist/composer/hunk,” The Washington Times said of ZADE: “Jordan’s leading Cultural Ambassador dedicates his music to building bridges of peace and tolerance.”

“When I close my eyes and start playing the piano,” ZADE explains, “ I immediately travel back to the beautiful rolling hills and winding narrow roads that travel down to the Jordan River and then up to Jerusalem. A certain spirituality and biblical sacredness cast over the area. When I was but a boy living in Jordan, that place was my earliest inspiration and recollection of what peace represented to me.”

America’s love affair with the Jordanian composer began in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when ZADE began a humble grassroots effort to create a better understanding of his culture in the West: a house concert tour across America playing in people’s living rooms, churches, temples, schools, and hospitals. He toured non-stop from 2001 till 2005, performing an average of 200 nights a year and earning praise for his efforts to combat world polarization. Highlights of this tour included performances before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and their Majesties Jordan’s King Abdullah and Queen Rania.

In 2005, ZADE established The ZADE Foundation for International Peace and Understanding, a U.S. non-profit organization aimed at helping young musicians share with the world a deeper understanding of their cultures by offering them a unique opportunity to expand their roles from musicians to proactive peace builders and future community leaders.

ZADE studied Western and Middle Eastern music composition and piano performance at Noor Al Hussein’s National Music Conservatory in Amman, Jordan and later continued his studies at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.

Song List

“Zaina”
“Lion of Jordan”
“New Beginnings”
“Helwa Ya Baladi”
“Untold Fairytales”
“Tango”
“Santiago’s Dream”
“If We Only Have Love”
“Amman”
“Awal Mara” (over end credits)

Band Members: John Robinson (Drums), Walter Rodriguez (Latin Percussion), Frank Crawford (Keyboards), Michael Thompson (Electric Guitar), John Peña (Bass Guitar), Gary Innes (Accordion), Lilit Khojayan (Qanoon), and Nasser Salameh (Middle Eastern percussion).

Executive Producers: Danny O’Donovan and Gustavo Sagastume. Producer: Danny O’Donovan. Associate Producer: Betsey Kamel. Director: Steve Purcell. A presentation of WLIW21 in association with WNET.ORG.

ZADE – One Night in Jordan: A Concert for Peace is under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and dedicated in loving memory of His Majesty the late King Hussein of Jordan.