Palestinian artist Simon Shaheen excels on the violin as well as the ‘oud, stunning audiences as he passes easily from traditional Arab sounds to Jazz and classical Western styles. His searing technique, melodic ingenuity and unequalled grace have earned him international fame. Among his many distinctions, Shaheen received the prestigious National Heritage Award at the White House. He is a professor of music at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and one of the most significant musicians, singers and composers of Arab music of his generation. Born in the village of Tarshiha in Galilee, Shaheen grew up surrounded by music. His father, Hikmat Shaheen, was a professor of music and master of the ‘oud. He began to play at the age of four, and began to study violin at the Haifa’s classical Western music Conservatory a year later.  Since the mid-1990s, Shaheen has focused on Qantara. This group, whose name means “arch” in Arabic, sums up Shaheen’s vision of an unbridled fusion of Arab music, Jazz, and classical Western and latino-American music, forming a perfect alchemy that allows music to cross the borders of genres and geography.