"Beautiful and deeply moving...their performance summoned such sorcery within seconds of starting, and the thrills kept coming.”- The Arts Desk ☆☆☆☆☆

On Saturday 6 June, Cuculi presents Ana Silvera & Saied Silbak at Circomedia, with support from t l k. Acclaimed British singer and multi-instrumentalist Ana Silvera and Palestinian composer, Oud virtuoso and singer Saied Silbak join creative forces for Songs We Carry, a new collaboration exploring the common ground between their heritages - the emotive, melancholy of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) music and the rich Maqams and intricate melodies of Arabic song.

Ana Silvera and Saied Silbak will also lead an interactive pre-gig workshop which explores the ways Sephardi Jewish and Arabic musical traditions have influenced and spoken to one another across history. Between the workshop & performance, we're inviting everyone to come and eat a delicious meal together!

WORKSHOP & PERFORMANCE (from 17:00)

£25 (General)
£30 (Community Supporter)
£20 (Low Income)

PERFORMANCE ONLY (from 19:00)

£14 (General)
£17 (Community Supporter)
£11 (Low income)

FOOD*
(19:00 - 20:00) - £10

*please purchase a food ticket in advance with your event ticket

This will be a seated performance in a fully wheelchair accessible venue. If you have any access requirements, please email us: [email protected]

This event is supported by the Early Career Promoter Fund which is
managed by PRS Foundation and funded by Arts Council England using Supporting
Grassroots Music funding from DCMS.

***

WORKSHOP INFO - Songs We Carry: Sephardi & Arabic Songs, Stories and Rhythms

Through engaging stories, enjoyable Ladino and Arabic songs, and hands-on rhythm activities, participants will discover the vibrant musical worlds these traditions share. The session introduces simple approaches to Arabic scales (maqams), includes clapping and body-percussion exercises, and explores distinctive rhythmic patterns.

The workshop is inclusive and suitable for all levels, welcoming up to 25–30 participants. It is aimed primarily at adults (also suitable for younger participants with an interest in music). No previous musical experience is required - just curiosity and a willingness to join in.

***

ANA SILVERA & SAIED SILBAK

Acclaimed British singer and multi-instrumentalist Ana Silvera and Palestinian composer, Oud virtuoso and singer Saied Silbak join creative forces for Songs We Carry, a new collaboration exploring the common ground between their heritages - the emotive, melancholy of Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) music and the rich Maqams and intricate melodies of Arabic song. For Ana Silvera, this project is deeply personal, rooted in her family's history as Jewish refugees of the Spanish Inquisition, who resettled in Aleppo (then part of the Ottoman Empire) in the 18th century.

Ladino, the language that Ana sings in is a UNESCO endangered language, and many of the songs she shares have been almost completely lost in time-until now. Silvera’s resurrection of these ancestral songs offers a glimpse into the resilience and beauty of her heritage; her talent for rendering these ancient melodies afresh also gestures to her work as a singer-songwriter, a path that has earned her praise from discerning critics including The Guardian, who have lauded her work as "stunning... magical storytelling.”

Meanwhile, Saied Silbak's journey from Shafaa’mr, a city located in the lower Galilee of occupied Palestine, to the cosmopolitan landscape of London infuses his artistry with a profound understanding of diverse musical traditions. With virtuosity honed through a lifetime of exploration, Silbak masterfully melds Arabic, Turkish, and Indian influences with Western styles, crafting a signature sound that transcends borders. They released their debut album in Autumn 2024, whichculminated in a sold-out launch at London’sKings Place. At the heart of this collaboration is the duo’s deep kinship, both as friends and musical minds, showing Palestinian and Jewish unity and solidarity in action.

***

t l k (solo ambient)

"truly transportive” / “ this music is going to reach people and places far and wide" - BBC6 Music 

t l k is a Bristol-based artist, vocalist and producer. Their practice centres the voice-as-instrument, in live, recorded and hybrid contexts, with palettes formed from found rhythms, analog synths and vocal layers. Their roots are in choral polyphony, blended with soundscape composition, electronics and audio collage. At the core is a deep commitment to the acts of noticing and iterating.

Fluid in genre and form, with a leaning towards cinematic ambient, downtempo electronic, skewed pop, neo-classical and musique concrète sensibilities, their works evolve from memory, dialogue, dreams and ongoing explorations into loss, selfhood, human behaviour and its coalescence and tensions with the non-human.