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    • \m/
    • Dance
    • Music
    • Writing
    • Calendar
    • About
    • Newsletter & Contact
    • Bibliography
    • Workshop Offerings
  • \m/
  • Dance
  • Music
  • Writing
  • Calendar
  • About
  • Newsletter & Contact
  • Bibliography
  • Workshop Offerings

Concerts | Shows | Collaborations

Tambourines :: Frame Drums :: Hand Percussion

Monica plays tambourines and frame drums, specifically the duf, riq and tamburello as well as sagat (finger cymbals) and castagnette (castanets). 


Monica is a percussionist with the Bay Area Arab Orchestra Aswat Ensemble  and the Aswat Women's Ensemble, and occasionally plays with several other project-oriented Arabic music groups. 


She also plays with Duo Pizzicato, playing a wide variety of Italian music.


Please see the calendar for upcoming events.

Other Projects

I'm always interested in working with fellow musicians and dancers on projects. Drop me a line!

Syrian music with Ari, Nasser, and Monica at Salon Hala, San Francisco, June 2024

A flute player, a singer, and a drummer

Italian music with Duo Pizzicato at Alemany Farm, San Francisco, May 2025

Two mandolin players, a guitar player, and a tamburello player

Playing with Aswat Ensemble. Photo by Najib Joe Hakim.

A smiling person holding a frame drum looks off to the side

Ari (nai), Shaden (voice), and Monica (riq) performing at Dance Mission Theater, San Francisco, July 2025. Photo by Liz Duran Boubion.

A nai player, a singer, and a tambourine player performing on a dark stage.



I live and work on unceded Ohlone Ramaytush land. Respect to elders, ancestors, and traditional caretakers of this land—past, present, emerging, and future. I also acknowledge the people of the lands of my youth, the Matinecock and the Tongva.    


Gratitude to the caretakers in my familial lines who stayed on the Southern European, Eastern European, and North African lands that my grandparents left. You created and continue to grow the traditions I do my best to honor and keep relevant from afar. Thank you for your ongoing inspiration and grace. 


No generative AI was used in creating any content on this site.



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