Guest
A TRIBUTE TO OUR DEAR COLLEAGUE AND FRIEND IYAD QASEM Iyad Qasem was Pink Martini's booking agent for North Africa and the Middle East, and the lyricist for our song “Finnisma Di“ (on the “Je dis oui!“ album), but, most importantly, our treasured friend. He passed away from cancer at the age of 52 earlier this month, surrounded by his family and friends. A lion of the entertainment business who was an important television director in the Arab world, Iyad was also a passionate music fan. He had a vibrant spirit and a lust for life that touched all who came into contact with him. In 2016, Iyad created new lyrics in Arabic for our bandleader Thomas Lauderdale's music to our original song “La soledad,“ which first appeared on our debut album “Sympathique.“ Iyad's lyrics beautifully explored the nostalgic sentiment of homesickness from an immigrant's perspective, at a time when the immigrant experience was becoming a dominant storyline of our r
