Haitham Haidar: Zaytoun

Haitham Haidar: Zaytoun

Featured UBC Alumni: Zaytoun by UBC Music alum Haitham Haidar (BMus‘13)⁠⁠

Release: August 2025 on Athene

Description:

Tenor Haitham Haidars debut solo album Zaytoun (meaning Olive in Arabic) is a captivating collection of beautiful Baroque and Arabic songs, interlaced with poetry and musical improvisations, an exploration of the intersection between Baroque and Arabic music. Whether it be through instrumentation, ornamentation, or vocal production, Zaytoun highlights the natural connections between what we generally view as separate worlds. Haidar pairs Baroque arias and songs by Monteverdi, Purcell and Bach, with the traditional Arabic songs which were his first introduction to music. He has added Arabic instrumentation to some of these Baroque standards, and even translated a Bach aria into Arabic, incorporating Arabic style into the Baroque structure. Alongside the music, are three poetry tracks (from Gibran Khalil Gibrans The Prophet) read over beautifully performed oud improvisation by Abdul-Wahab Kayyali. These tracks (prelude, intermezzo, and postlude) help present the music to follow and shape Haidars narrative of his own immigrant story in the unique intertwining of Arabic and Baroque music.

Teaching Opportunities: Voice & Opera Division, 2025W Term 2

Term 2:  January 1, 2026 – April 30, 2026

The School of Music is pleased to advertise additional sessional teaching opportunities for Term 2 only (January – April 2026)

  • MUSC_V 131: Class Voice
  • MUSC_V 441: Vocal Techniques

Applications should include:

  • statement of interest indicating teaching competencies
  • curriculum vita (detailing post-secondary teaching experience)
  • evidence of teaching effectiveness (e.g. sample teaching evaluations)
  • names and contact emails of three referees
  • where applicable, the URL to a website that demonstrates your work

Positions are subject to final budgetary approval and contingent upon student enrolments. Sessional Lecturer appointments are governed by UBC’s Collective Agreement, Part 7 “Conditions of Appointment for Sessional Lecturers.” Within the School of Music, for Sessional Lecturers whose principal duties comprise private music lessons, studio classes or equivalent, pay shall be calculated as set out in the Collective Agreement, Part 2, Appendix F.

Preference will be given to applicants with a Doctorate or Masters degree in Music, with previous teaching experience at the college or university level.

Equity and diversity are essential to academic excellence. An open and diverse community fosters the inclusion of voices that have been underrepresented or discouraged. We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Métis, Inuit, or Indigenous person. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents will be given priority.

Deadline for applications: Monday October 27, 2025
Posting date: Friday October 10, 2025

 

Beethoven, Medtner & Schumann: Piano Works

Featured UBC Alumni: Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, piano (MMus ’23)

Label: Steinway & Sons

Description: Steinway & Sons is proud to present an album by one of Canada’s most exciting young talents, pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko. Winner of the 2022 Hilton Head International Piano Competition and the 2024 Leeds International Piano Competition, Izik-Dzurko’s playing has been praised for its exemplary precision & clarity, exceptional artistic maturity, and deep musicality.

Recorded May 2-3, 2023 at Sono Luminus Studios, Boyce, Virginia.

Producer: Dan Merceruio

Engineer: Joshua Frey

Mixing and Mastering: Daniel Shores

Executive Producers: Eric Feidner, Jon Feidner, Vivian Chiu

Art Direction: Jackie Fugere

Design: Cover to Cover Design, Anilda Carrasquillo

Photography: Waldy Martens

Product Coordinator: Renée Oakford

Piano Technician: John Veitch

Piano: Steinway Model D #590904 (New York)

 

Sustenance

Featured UBC Alumni: Iman Habibi (BMus ’08, MMus ’10)

Featured Track: Offering of Water (2023) for violin and piano

1. of life
2. yasna
3. purify
4. it shall flow if from tears
5. to life

Label: Spektral Records

Recording details: