Huyam Ensemble is a music group open to musicians with interest in sacred and devotional music from all traditions. Huyam is an Arabic word that means “passionate love”. The word is made out of two syllabus: “Hu” which refers to the Divine in several traditions and “Yam” which means Ocean or Sea (in both Arabic and Hebrew). For the Sisterhood Salaam-Shalom Concert, Huyam Ensemble is honored to feature the following musicians and vocalists:

Gary Haggerty - Oud Player

Gary is an incredibly talented multi-instrumentalist playing a wide range of string instruments from various traditions. In addition to the violin and Viola he plays a variety of lutes including the Oud, Laouti, Mendocello, Tarhu and Saz. He plays with the world music ensemble Teslim and Stellamara as well as several other Bay Area groups such as Janam and the Helladelics. He has studied with the Oud master Naseer Shamma and has studied, recorded, and performed with Ross Daly and Kelly Thoma. He has toured with the Mevlevi Dervish (Sufi) Order of America and continues to participate in Turkish ceremonial and devotional gatherings around the country. In addition to being a composer and performer, Gary is a talented luthier repairing strings instruments of every variety and finding ingenious ways to allow the true voice of an instrument to come forth.

Duygu Gün  - Female Vocalist

Duygu is a musician, artist, and curator from Turkey, based in San Francisco since 2012. Her lifelong passion for music and fascination with diverse folk traditions have led her on a unique musical journey. Performing on guitar and vocals since 1997, she has graced stages in London, Istanbul, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Northern California. In 2020, she teamed up with her accordion-guitar duo Nakarat, enchanting listeners with vibrant Mediterranean folk songs in Turkish, Ladino, Greek, Griko, and Italian. Beyond music, Duygu is dedicated to supporting the local music scene, preserving folk culture and bringing people together through the power of music and shared human experiences. In 2022, she co-founded the Anatolian Arts Institute, a platform with a mission to introduce Anatolian Arts and Culture to local and international audiences through an array of participatory workshops, performances, research, and educational activities.

Michael Baefsky – Male Vocalist

Michael Baefsky sings Turkish folk and Mevlevi liturgical music and plays the oud. He studies Turkish Classical music with Dr. Timuçin Çevikoğlu.  Michael played acoustic bass, acoustic guitar and sang in Ellis Island Old World Folk Band and played bass and sang in the I’ll Be Right Home Honey Later Band.  Additionally, Michael accompanied several Jewish congregations in the San Francisco Bay Area on bass, guitar and vocals.

Amira Kotb – Female Vocalist

Amira is an Egyptian American singer that specializes in Arab and Sufi music. She composes and performs sacred songs in Arabic but sings in several other languages including Turkish, Persian, Hebrew, English, French and Greek. In addition to being a vocalists with Huyam and Aswat Ensemble, Amira is a student of Qanun, a mother of two and a non-profit manager.

Faisal Zedan – Derbakki Player

Faisal is an Arabic percussionist and drummer who was born in Lebanon and raised in Syria. He grew up impassioned with the derbakki (Arabic drum) and at the age of 15 after intensive study with a local drummer Faisal became exposed to a wide repertoire of Arabic classical and contemporary music, playing on derbakki, riqq and frame drums from Arabic and Middle Eastern music genres. Upon arrival in California in 1991, he joined the acclaimed UCLA near East music Ensemble directed by Dr. Ali Jihad Racy. Faisal is affiliated with several groups including Kan Zaman, Qadim, Stellamara and Aswat Ensemble.