The Longing String: A Talk on Musical Kinships

The Longing String: A Talk on Musical Kinships with Dimitris Mahlis (oud) and Philip Graulty (guitar)

In the PRS Library

Presented by The Resonance Collective

Part of The Resonance Collective's Golden Thread lecture series at PRS

Join us for a short performance and talk that explores the deep musical kinship between the oud and the classical guitar. LA-based musicians Dimitris Mahlis (oud) and Philip Graulty (guitar) bring their artistry and friendship to the PRS library, sharing insight into their artistic practices and their instruments' shared roots.This event is a preview to The Longing String concert, presented by The Resonance Collective, on Saturday, May 17 at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.The Golden Thread Lectures and Concerts expand on the ritual and ceremonial elements of a concert into a mystical, as well as artistic, experience. We celebrate the diversity of sound artists in Los Angeles while emphasizing the shared purpose that ties them together.

This event is a preview to The Longing String concert, presented by The Resonance Collective, on Saturday, May 17 at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.

The Golden Thread Lectures and Concerts expand on the ritual and ceremonial elements of a concert into a mystical, as well as artistic, experience. We celebrate the diversity of sound artists in Los Angeles while emphasizing the shared purpose that ties them together.

PHILIP GRAULTY is a Los Angeles-based guitarist, composer, and educator whose musical world lies at the intersection of classical, jazz, and folk music traditions. His artistic practice explores music as a form of memorial, offering, and healing, and his unique approach to the guitar is informed by myriad styles including classical guitar, contemporary jazz, and fingerstyle blues.

Philip is a co-founder of Bridge to Everywhere, a new music collective that explores connections across diverse musical traditions, and the guitar ensembles Los Angeles Electric 8 and Ikat Quartet. His new solo album, Still Life, was released in May 2024.

DIMITRIS MAHLIS is a multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Los Angeles. Since coming to LA, Dimitris' skills on oud, guitar and other stringed instruments have led him into a rich variety of performing and recording experiences with some of the best domestic and international artists in the Los Angeles area.

Dimitris has had the good fortune to receive training in both Western and Eastern musical systems. First at the Berklee College of music in Boston, later Oud and makam Studies in Istanbul Turkey With Master Necati Celik. Dimitris’s playing style on multiple instruments has been described as Earthy, poetic, soulful and original. His compositions have set a standard for cross cultural pollination.

Some recording credits include the Oscar winning film "Argo" With composer Alexander Desplat. "Huun Huur Tu" with Carmen Rizzo, "Vino" with Robi Draco Rosa, "O Samanos" Dionisis Savopoulo-Thanasis Papakonstantinou, [recorded in Greece] Dimitris also composed the music for the recent short film " Coffee and Sugar" and is featured on the soundtrack of the recent films”The Angel” “The Algerian” and others. He has just finished Filming as part of the ensemble” The Mighty Mighty” for the upcoming PBS Special “Decoding Musical Tastes”

Dimitris has performed and toured throughout the world with artists such as Perla Batalla, A.R.Rahman, Axiom of Choice, Ebi Hamedi, Dionisis Savopoulos, Niyaz, Freddie Hubbard, Thanasis Papakonstantinou, Kevyn Lettau, Russell Ferrante and others.

He has also performed in all the major venues in Los Angeles, including The Greek Theater, The John Anson Ford Theater, Disney hall, The Wiltern, Etc. He composes all the original music for his projects including 6 albums with His duo project "Wahid" "Protoleia" with the Mahlis- Panos Project, "Prana" with the trio Prana and "Aphrodite Moves On" with his electric guitar based quartet, Babaghanoush. He is currently preparing a series of solo oud recordings for release.

The two friends decided that the answer

was a long, a longing!, string, with one end tied

to the mouse’s foot and the other to the frog’s,

so that by pulling on it their secret connection

might be remembered and the two could meet,

as the soul does with the body.

— Rumi, The Long String

Tickets: $15 , Sliding Scale $10

Please email events@prs.org or phone 323-663-2167 with any questions.

ACCESSIBILITY

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PARKING

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