TAYF طَيْف
TAYF طَيْف , captured in English, can mean spectrum, diversity or vision. The ensemble widens the aperture on traditional maqam to center queer, non-binary and women performers, too often on the periphery of the tradition.
Founded in 2024 with a debut performance at the Old Town School of Folk Music, the group has played across Chicago since, with recent performances at Chop Shop and Color Club. Combining musicians from the SWANA region and beyond, the group expands the standard repertoire while maintaining a connection to its members’ roots.
Listen
Upcoming Shows
CHICAGO
Bucktown Arts Festival || Sunday, August 29th from 12:30-1:30pm
TAYF Ensemble Members
C Mikhail
C Mikhail is an Assyrian-German-American musician and audio engineer based in Chicago. Since joining the Middle East Music Ensemble and studying with Wanees Zarour, they have specialized in the Arab music tradition of maqam. Their profound understanding of the music theory and arrangement concepts have made them a coveted bassist in ensembles across the city. TAYF, founded by C in 2024, is an outlet for their creativity, a connector for their community, and a chosen family. They also perform with a wide range of artists from local bands such as Oyeme to international musical acts like the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra.
Founder, bass, choir
Karl El Sokhn
Karl El Sokhn aka Reckless Darling is a Chicago-based musician and educator. He specializes in drums, riq, and guitar. His musician career started at the age of 15 in his home country of Lebanon, where he performed in heavy metal bands. As his tastes matured, he expanded his knowledge to include maqam, rock, jazz, and funk. Reckless Darling has collaborated with a wide array of artists from local indie bands to award-winning educators and international musical acts. Collaborators include: Clarissa Bitar, Ronnie Malley, Wanees Zarour, Billy Joel Jr, Tuvergen, Jamila and the Other Heroes, U of C Middle East Music Ensemble, TAYF Ensemble.
Riqq, drums, guitar
Phaedra Darwish
Phaedra Darwish has been a musician since she started taking lessons at the age of 6 from her mother. She holds a degree in music (primary: saxophone and voice), and is grateful to have traveled the world because of it. She was brought into the world of Arabic music through studying and performing the art of raqs sharqi, and she feels music and dance are wonderful ways to share her heritage as a Lebanese-American. She plays and dances with many Chicago groups which celebrate the Arab world, such as Surabhi Ensemble, Rocambu Jazz, the Middle East Music Ensemble at University of Chicago, and Music & Dance of the Mediterranean. Being a member of TAYF feels like coming home, and she is grateful to make music with such wonderful people.
Flute, saxophone, bellydance
Dr. Shayna Silverstein
Dr. Shayna Silverstein is a Chinese-Jewish-American musician and professor of performance studies at Northwestern University. Since her first encounters with SWANA musical cultures while living and gigging in NYC some twenty years ago, she began to study maqam and folk music. Shayna played violin with the Middle East Music Ensemble at the University of Chicago (2003-2012), learned oud and researched dabke in Syria, and attended the Arabic Music Retreat directed by Simon Shaheen. She is also the author of a multiple award-winning book, Fraught Balance: The Embodied Politics of Dabke Dance Music in Syria. Find out more about Shayna's music and scholarship at shaynasilverstein.com.
Violin
Sham Abyad
Sham is a Chicago-based Syrian-American vocalist, born and raised in Damascus. She has been singing since a young age, and her voice carries the depth of diverse cultural and emotional experiences. For Sham, music is a refuge, a constant, and a way to connect deeply with herself and others. She performs across multiple genres, inspired by the rich traditions of her heritage and the wider world of music. She has performed with the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble, the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, and several other ensembles in the Chicago music scene. She is the lead singer in TAYF, especially close to her heart, and feels grateful for this path and for the chance to have crossed paths with such wonderful individuals.
Vocals
Dr. Aliah Ajamoughli
CelloDr. Aliah Ajamoughli, PhD is a Syrian American ethnomusicologist, cellist, educator. As an artist, she intertwines community organizing with creative practice. This intertwinement includes performing on Malek Jandali’s Voice of the Free Syria tour in 2014, serving on art boards for exhibits showcasing Muslim American talent, and conducting award-winning research about the impact of Muslim artistry on American popular musics. In her free time, you can find her somewhere in Chicago pleasure reading and snuggling with her dog.
Press
Learn about past shows:
From Ash to Bloom, Chop Shop Chicago (October 2025)
Sahrit Saffron, Color Club Chicago (April 2026)
PAST SHOWS
The Old Town School of Folk Music (05/29/24)
Taste of Chicago Marquette Park (07/27/24)
Empty Bottle, opening for Arab Blues (11/26/24)
Bar Sol Navy Pier, Raqs for Relief Benefit Hafla for Lebanon and Gaza (01/19/25)
The Irish American Heritage Center, Fields of Palestine Benefit Concert for Gaza (02/15/25)
Solidarity Studios, BIYA BIYA Birthday (04/19/25)
Solidarity Triangle Logan Square (09/19/25)
Chop Shop, From Ash to Bloom (10/13/25)
California Clipper, Yalda Night Life (11/25/25)
Color Club Ballroom, Sahrit Saffron (04/23/26)