musician and reciterand language and cultural translator; studied acoustics at the Technical University of Berlin, graduated engineer; engaged in Arabic traditional calligraphy and music; further education under the innovator of modern Arabic calligraphy Mounir Al Shaarani; exhibitions in Berlin 2008 and 2009. Living in Berlin since 1972. 1985 foundation of the Arabic Dance&Music Workshop. Promotion of the Decentralized Cultural Work Berlin Charlottenburg. 1987 “Fill the jug with magician wine” hour-long documentary for Sender Freies Berlin, Redaktion Kultur und Gesellschaft, about the life and work of the most boisterous singer in the Arab world around Kulthum. 1989 “Holy War of the Word” documentary for BBC-London; Channal For, about the influence of Saudi Arabia in the Islamic World. Participation as a speaker on Islam in the international conference “Der Fremde unter euch” of the Evangelische Akademie Berlin- Brandenburg, 30 Oct. – 1 Nov.1989, on dealing with the stranger in the Jewish, Christian and Islamic traditions. Since 1991 German citizen and lecturer for oriental rhythm at the music school Tempelhof-Schöneberg. 1992-1994 Studied Arabic classical rhythm theory at the Sayed Darwish Academy of Music in Cairo 1998-2004 Freelancer for traditional oriental music at the House of World Cultures. 2004 Initiated with Ann Lisa Natan, Mezzo Supranists Paris-Berlin the liturgical music project “Abraham Zelt” for Jewish-Islamic understanding. 2006 Foundation of the international ensemble “Musical Religion Dialogue”, numerous performances including Karlspreis award ceremony, church days in Osnabrück. 2006-2015 Cultural translator for the research project “Mega City” TU-Berlin- Casablanca University requested by the German research society. 2015-2017 Participation as cultural and language translator in the study “IPT” of the psychological university Berlin on uncomplicated enabling of psychotherapies for refugees. Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Labor.
Youssef El Tekhin, born 1950 in Damascus, calligrapher, musician and reciter and language and cultural translator; studied acoustics at the Technical University of Berlin, graduated engineer; engaged in Arabic traditional calligraphy and music; further education under the innovator of modern Arabic calligraphy Mounir Al Shaarani; exhibitions in Berlin 2008 and 2009. Living in Berlin since 1972. 1985 foundation of the Arabic Dance&Music Workshop. Support of the Decentralized Cultural Work Berlin Charlottenburg.