Thank you to everyone who attended my InnerCity Muslim Action Network (IMAN) InnerNet Cyphers Series. It was truly a pleasure to see you ‘virtually’ there for this storytelling workshop sharing my musical journeys. An extra special thanks to Sadia, Binta, Rami, and all the IMAN folks for facilitating it and continually supporting the arts and culture.

IMAN is one of very few organizations of its kind that has the heart and courage to understand the importance of art and expression in humanity. They not only dare to believe in such things, they also act on them, making art and culture equal with the social and health services they also provide.

One of my responsibilities in presenting the InnerNet Cypher was to provide the following  post-workshop reflection.

Though I was presenting and explaining different instruments from around the globe, it was really the stories they told -- how I acquired them, where they came from -- that I personally find most compelling. Life can be an interesting ride sometimes. If you’d have told me 15 years ago that I’d be doing music and theater tours, lecturing on world music (online during a global pandemic!), collecting and playing many world instruments (too many according to my wife), and learning about world cultures, customs, food, and languages, I wouldn’t have believed you. I grew up playing music with my family band, but also thought one day I had to become “responsible.” So, for many years, I ended up working in the corporate world (i.e., retail, banking, real estate), and that’s where I thought I had security, credibility, and most of all access to the money ladder of success.

It took a divorce, life changes, A LOT of inner soul searching, and reflection to understand what the word, “value,” really meant. It wasn’t about how much money you could accumulate in a lifetime, it was about the wealth we gain from experiences and learning, the relationships we nurture, and understanding that giving back from who we are is the ultimate way to receive. By following a path with enthusiasm and a curiosity for life, I strove to walk in rhythm with life, bumps, grooves, and all. Put simply, I wanted to “emshi fi sabeel illah,” as we’d say in Arabic, to “walk in the ways of God,” a notion found in all the Abrahmic faiths, not just Islam, as well as other beliefs. This didn't mean I had to (or wanted to) become religious with a capital "R." It meant living life with purpose, yet, at the same time with total abandon to the will of the universe. I’m grateful and humbled by those who might regard what I have or do as talent, but in the end it’s really just an expression of love for something about which I’m passionate. And that, anyone can do if they search within themselves.

I know that right now we perceive probably one of the greatest challenges of our lifetime facing this global health crisis, but I find comfort in what I’ve seen through my musical journeys of human strength and resilience to overcome adversity while still maintaining our humanity, civility, and expression through art and action. That is why I choose to think artfully and be creative, no matter what my vocation, meeting, learning, and sharing stories about people we may never have known, yet who are nonetheless as exceptional and extraordinary as any celebrity or world leader. I have hope and pray that we make it through these times and look forward to watching our humanity blossom on the other side of this new renaissance.

#imanarts
Inner-City Muslim Action Network (IMAN) IMAN Atlanta
#innernetcyphers
#physicaldistancing
#sociallyconnected
#FlattenTheCurve
#stayhome

 "Music is a Medium for Social Interactions and Dialogue" - Interview with Ronnie Malley, Multi-Instrumentalist, Producer, and Educator - 
by Madanmohan Rao
​February 22, 2017

This was an interview by World Music Central contributor Madanmohan Rao with whom I shared the pleasure of participating in the Jaipur Literature Festival held in Jaipur, Rajasthan in India. The performances at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) were part of a larger tour with one of my groups, East Meets Middle East (EMME). 

From January 18 through February 7, Ronnie Malley and Zeshan Bagewadi toured the Midwestern cities of Grand Forks, ND, Fergus Falls, MN, and Traverse City, MI. They were accompanied by first class musicians Tessa Brinckman, Terry Longshore, Garrett McGinn, Alec, Lehrman, and Tyler Berg, as well as impresario and tour manager Asad Ali Jafri (a.k.a. Dj Man o Wax). The 2016 Caravanserai: American Voices tour was sponsored by Arts Midwest and the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art featuring American artists with Muslim backgrounds. 

Click here to learn more about the Caravanserai: American Voices Tour 

It was a July afternoon in Chicago last year, one day after my return from working on a music research project in South Asia, when I received a call from composer and sound designer Andre Pluess. He was calling to ask if I was available to perform and co-arrange music for a new theater production. The play, called The White Snake, was a centuries-old Chinese folk tale and was yet to be written by the Tony Award-winning playwright Mary Zimmerman, who is known for her adaptation of ancient texts. Mr. Pluess and I enjoyed our collaboration on the 2009 and 2010 productions of Arabian Nights, also written by Ms. Zimmerman, and we looked forward to working together on a production from scratch.

THE WHITE SNAKE by Mary Zimmerman at OSF.
Pictured: Amy Kim Waschke, Tanya McBride, Photo by Jenny Graham