CLASSIC 107'S ALBUM OF THE MONTH: 'Zaytoun'

Classic 107’s Album of the Month for September is one that exists at many intersections. It is all at once modern and Baroque, Western and Eastern, joyful and sorrowful.  

Zaytoun (the Arabic word for “olive”) is the debut record by tenor Haitham Haidar. The Montreal native has striven to forge his own path in the classical music industry ever since completing his education and has performed in both traditional settings (including as Evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion with Canzona, Dead of Winter and Polycoro back in 2022) and more adventurous ones like the Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble. 

Haidar’s first solo venture represents the mixture of different musical worlds he lives in, with traditional Arabic songs that he heard growing up as the son of Palestinian parents in Beirut appearing alongside more conventional offerings from the worlds of Bach, Purcell and Monteverdi (though even these get some Arabic flair). He is joined in this adventure by some of Canada’s greatest Baroque instrumentalists, including lutist Sylvain Bergeron, harpsichordist Abraham Ross, violinist Tanya LaPerrière, cellist Amanda Keemaat, and oud player Abdul-Wahab Kayyali. 

“As an Arab immigrant, life continues to be a journey of exploration of home, of belonging and this musical project encompasses all parts of my identity, allowing them to live and shine within one sphere rather than compartmentalized sections of myself,” Haidar said in a press release. 

That exploration of home on Zaytoun has been made more poignant by the ongoing conflict in Haidar’s homeland and crystallized when his grandfather’s home in Beirut was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike back in 2024 (no one was home during the attack). This record is an outlet for Haidar’s grief at the ongoing conflict and the catastrophic toll it has taken on civilians, while also a celebration of the simple balms of sharing music together. 

Classic 107 listeners can hear excerpts from Zaytoun every Wednesday morning just after 7:30 a.m. throughout the month of September on Morning Light with Nolan Kehler.