NOMA presents a series of virtual concerts featuring a range of music’s best and brightest performing from their homes. Assembled by internationally renowned multi-instrumentalist and composer Mahmoud Chouki, enjoy these relaxed and informal music experiences with acclaimed musicians from New Orleans and beyond.
About Martin Masakowski and Simon Moushabeck
Bassist and luthier Martin Masakowski was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. The son of a musical family, Martin’s emersion in the arts began from a young age. He spent his youth studying visual arts and transitioned into music at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts high school. Martin went on to study jazz at the University of New Orleans before moving to The Netherlands to finish his bachelor’s in music at the Rotterdam Conservatory. He spent the following years touring with an Eastern European folk band, the Balcony Players. With them he explored over twenty countries in Europe, performing in clubs and festivals and also visiting Roma gypsy villages to study their music and culture. As a result of his travels and the influence of his family and his city, Martin’s musical styles span across jazz, folk, classical, electronic, experimental, Eastern European and Indian genres. Inspired by years on the road with an upright bass, Martin’s most recent endeavor was the design and building of his own custom travel bass, with future plans to produce his own line of instruments to meet the need of traveling musicians. In 2019 Martin received a Masters of Jazz Performance from the University of New Orleans.
Simon Moushabeck is a Palestinian American percussionist and accordionist living in New Orleans. He learned riq (the Arabic tambourine) from his Uncle, and later studied with masters of the Arabic music tradition including Simon Shaheen, Bassam Saba, and Michel Mirhej. Simon plays a modified accordion which enables him to play Arabic maqam and other microtonal music from areas near and around the Arab world. Learn more:
Follow Martin on Instagram and Facebook.
Follow Simon on Instagram.
View the full Musicians from Home series
NOMA is committed to uniting, inspiring, and engaging diverse communities and cultures through the arts — now more than ever. Your gift will make a direct and immediate impact as NOMA welcomes our community back to the museum and sculpture garden, plans new exhibitions, and develops virtual and at-home arts education resources for school partners.
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Education and outreach initiatives at NOMA are supported in part by the Zemurray Foundation; the Lois and Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Foundation; The Helis Foundation; The Gayle and Tom Benson Foundation; The City of New Orleans; IBERIABANK; The Wagner Foundation; Janice Parmelee and Bill Hammack; the Diversifying Art Museum Leadership Initiative, funded by the Walton Family Foundation and the Ford Foundation; Sara and David Kelso; Patrick F. Taylor Foundation; Dr. Scott S. Cowen; The RosaMary Foundation; The Azby Fund; the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation & Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, a Federal agency; The Collins C. Diboll Private Foundation; Burkenroad Foundation; Marian Dreux Van Horn Education Endowment; The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation; Ruby K. Worner Trust through the PNC Charitable Trusts Grant Review Committee; The Harry T. Howard III Foundation; New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Foundation, Inc.; Harvey and Marie Orth; The Bruce J. Heim Foundation; and Mrs. Bennett A. Molter, Jr. This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.