Monday, April 3, 2023
Royal Albert Hall to host Turkey-Syria fundraiser
Musicians of Mesopotamia set to appear alongside showbiz stars for special charity happening
Maya Youssef, who performs with the Solidarity Ensemble on April 15
The Royal Albert Hall hosts a special one-off charity event on April 15 to raise essential funds for War Child and the Turkey Mozaik Foundation, following the recent catastrophic earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Of particular interest to Songlines readers will be an exclusive live performance by the Solidarity Ensemble, comprising of Turkish, Kurdish, Arab and Alevi musicians from Turkey and Syria. This freshly-formed troupe, featuring Çiğdem Aslan, Dila Vardar, Djanan Turan, Erdal Yapıcı, Maya Youssef, Suna Alan, Levent Canen, Tahir Palalı, Serkan Çakmak and Suat Karakuş, has come together to pay tribute to their region's cultural heritage, reviving ancient Mesopotamian melodies with traditional instruments such as the kopuz, bağlama, ney, kanun and bendir.
They join a packed bill, with fellow musicians Marcus Mumford, Dermot Kennedy, Hozier, James Bay, Anna Calvi and Nilüfer Yanya, plus actors Olivia Colman and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and comedian Omid Djalili, among those all set to show their support.
Click here for more details and ticket information.
