Headfirst Editor's Pick
"Sell out warning! Intoxicating Middle Eastern chamber music in the Boiling Wells outdoor amphitheatre, played with unbridled passion on the 78 string zither (traditionally the domain of male musicians). Nostalgic evocations of a lost Syria, the heartbreak of war and the glimmer of future hope - Maya’s music is pure emotional revelation with every plucked string."
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A gig on Friday 28th April. The event starts at 18:30.
We are excited to invite you back for a Spring series of concerts in the magical surroundings of Boiling Wells woodland amphitheatre.
Maya Youssef
Hailed as ‘The queen of the qanun’, Maya Youssef is a globally renowned and award-winning qanun player and composer from Syria. Born in Damascus, as a result of the war in her home country Maya arrived in the UK in 2012 under the UK Government’s Tier 1 visa scheme, endorsed by Arts Council England as an Exceptional Talent. Since then, Maya has pushed the boundaries of the qanun (a 78 stringed plucked zither traditionally played by men) and has performed at the South Bank, BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, TheBarbican, Shakespeare’s Globe and WOMAD Festival, and around the world.
Maya has collaborated with Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz) and recorded for ‘The Beatles & India' documentary in Abbey Road Studios. Her debut album, Syrian Dreams (a prayer for peace), was produced by the esteemed Joe Boyd (Nick Drake et al) and released by Harmonia Mundi. The album received critical acclaim from the media. “Exquisite...a powerful homage, twists Arabic music cliches'', The Guardian. “An album of skill and power...a dizzying sweep of genres from flamenco to jazz. A transportive cinematic listen” The Musician Magazine. Syrian Dreams won the German Record Critics' Award and Songlines Music Award. This led to many UK and international sold-out concerts.
Maya was awarded a PRS Women Make Music Grant and an Arts Council England Project Grant towards recording her second album, Finding Home’which was released March 25th, 2022. The album received 5- star reviews from international and UK press and was nominated for the prestigious German Record Critics’ Award. In September 2022 Finding Home was no.1 in the Transglobal World Music Chart, In December it was named as one of Songlines’ 10 Best Albums of 2022.
Alongside the composition and performance aspects of her career, Maya is also a consummate and skilled educator, leading her own online qanun academy with s tudents all over the world, contributing to a wide variety of learning and participation opportunities through talks, lectures workshops and broadcasts.
Plus Support TBA
Entry requirements:
Maya Youssef
Hailed as ‘The queen of the qanun’, Maya Youssef is a globally renowned and award-winning qanun player and composer from Syria. Born in Damascus, as a result of the war in her home country Maya arrived in the UK in 2012 under the UK Government’s Tier 1 visa scheme, endorsed by Arts Council England as an Exceptional Talent. Since then, Maya has pushed the boundaries of the qanun (a 78 stringed plucked zither traditionally played by men) and has performed at the South Bank, BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, TheBarbican, Shakespeare’s Globe and WOMAD Festival, and around the world.
Maya has collaborated with Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz) and recorded for ‘The Beatles & India' documentary in Abbey Road Studios. Her debut album, Syrian Dreams (a prayer for peace), was produced by the esteemed Joe Boyd (Nick Drake et al) and released by Harmonia Mundi. The album received critical acclaim from the media. “Exquisite...a powerful homage, twists Arabic music cliches'', The Guardian. “An album of skill and power...a dizzying sweep of genres from flamenco to jazz. A transportive cinematic listen” The Musician Magazine. Syrian Dreams won the German Record Critics' Award and Songlines Music Award. This led to many UK and international sold-out concerts.
Maya was awarded a PRS Women Make Music Grant and an Arts Council England Project Grant towards recording her second album, Finding Home’which was released March 25th, 2022. The album received 5- star reviews from international and UK press and was nominated for the prestigious German Record Critics’ Award. In September 2022 Finding Home was no.1 in the Transglobal World Music Chart, In December it was named as one of Songlines’ 10 Best Albums of 2022.
Alongside the composition and performance aspects of her career, Maya is also a consummate and skilled educator, leading her own online qanun academy with s tudents all over the world, contributing to a wide variety of learning and participation opportunities through talks, lectures workshops and broadcasts.
Plus Support TBA
Entry requirements:
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