SUNFEST – Clarissa Bitar Bakhaf Al Layl (Palestine)

Clarissa Bitar is an award winning Palestinian oud musician, composer, and born and raised in Los Angeles

Opening set by Shen Clarissa Bitar is an award winning Palestinian oud musician, composer, and born and raised in Los Angeles Clarissa has performed around the United States and internationally and has blended the oud in many genres including Pop, Hip Hop, and Rap. They have worked with artists including Ali Gatie, Massari, Mona Haydar, Omar Offendum, Nasri Atweh, and Elyanna. They released a poetry-oud EP with Palestinian writer Mohammed El-Kurd titled Bellydancing on Wounds. Their music has been featured in film, podcasts, radio, and television. In 2021 they released their debut album titled Hassan Sabi. The song Bayara was featured on episode 8 of the Netflix series Mo staring Mo Amer. Clarissa’s music has been featured in international exhibits including the exhibit “Your Brain to Me, My Brain to You” by renowned Swiss visual artist Pipilotti Rist in Qatar, her first exhibit in the Middle East. — Maher Shenouda — known as Shen — is a multidisciplinary creative working at the intersection of music, culture, and community. Based between cities, his practice spans DJ sets, music curation, event production, and cultural projects. As a music curator at BELLOSOUND, he designs sonic identities for luxury hospitality spaces including Four Seasons properties across the Middle East and North Africa. His DJ work draws from a deep personal archive of records, cassettes, and digital discoveries. He is the creator of OFF THE RECORD, a deck of 120 music conversation starter cards that has been featured on Resident Advisor. His cultural projects include multi-city tours, hotel residencies, and organizing spaces that bring people together through music.