This project brings together two distinctive voices in the oud world, the Palestinian Nizar Rohana and the Iranian Yasamin Shahhosseini. Their original compositions put up a rare meeting between styles from Arabic and Persian music and offer a unique insight into the delicate transitions and the intersections of the oud. They are currently working on a new album entitled Sujūd (Adoration). Recently, their album received a fund from The Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).
Madar Ensemble
Madar (literally 'an orbit’) is a group of five musicians from the Netherlands, Palestine, Jordan and Tunisia. With a genuine curiosity for and understanding of each other’s musical language, they have come together with the purpose of creating something new, built on a deeply shared respect for the qualities of their various musical worlds.
Nizar Rohana Trio
Rohana formed his trio with Hungarian double-bass player Matyas Szandai and French-Lebanese percussionist Wassim Halal in 2013. The trio performs original repertoire that is an extension of Arabic and middle eastern traditions but also draws from a wide range of other sources such as jazz and western classical music.
Solo Performance
Nizar’s playing reveals his deep fascination and aptness for breathing the spirit of the 21st century into traditional Arabic music. As a composer, he takes the unique character of the ud as his starting point to develop a distinct contemporary sound, which gently hints at myriad influences that can never quite be identified.