World Music at the Gothenburg Concert Hall

Notes from Damascus

Arabic music meets jazz with Maya Youssef – master of the 78-string instrument called qanun.

Syrian musician and composer Maya Youssef lives in the UK, where she has been celebrated in the press as the “Queen of the qanun” – an instrument with 78 strings, related to the cittern.

The qanun is traditionally played by men, but this hasn’t stopped Maya Youssef, ever since she first heard the instrument in Damascus. Her dramatic, yet contemplative compositions pursue emotional healing through music – a life-affirming antidote to the death and desolation that have been underway in her home country, and currently taking place in the Middle East.

The critically acclaimed debut album Syrian Dreams has earned multiple prizes from around the world and resulted in prestigious performances on WOMAD and BBC Proms. She is also a teacher and has explored how music can help bring a sense of security to refugee children in Syria.