Past Event

Fri, September 15, 2023 at 7:30 PM

EUROPE OUD QUARTET

Arabic Music Days

Pierre Boulez Saal

artists

Bacem Yousfi
Oud

Somar Al Nasser
Oud

Mohamed Abozekry
Oud

Abdallah Abozekry
Saz

While in European music history the organ has traditionally been regarded as the “Queen of Instruments,” it is without a doubt the oud that takes the same place in the music of the Arabic world. Few artists today have achieved greater recognition in promoting the instrument than Naseer Shamma, curator of the Arabic Music Days. As a virtuoso performer, educator, and cultural ambassador, he has not only raised the profile and visibility of the oud around the world, but also developed the instrument itself by adding and changing details of its construction. The “Oud Houses” he established in several cities across the Arabic world have become important training centers for the next generation of musicians.

For the 2023 Arabic Music Days, Shamma has invited fellow oud players and ensembles consisting of students and teachers from the Oud Houses in Cairo, Abu Dhabi, and elsewhere. An extensive program of film, literature, and visual art will provide additional perspectives of contemporary Arabic culture on site and online.

Due to travel and visa issues, Sherine Tohamy & The Abu Dhabi Oud House Trio unfortunately had to cancel their performance. Thankfully, the Europe Oud Quartet, consisting of oud players Bacem Yousfi, Somar Al Nasser, and Mohamed Abozekry, as well as Abdallah Abozekry on saz, agreed to step in on short notice. The latter two musicians have already been heard at the Pierre Boulez Saal during the 2022 Arabic Music Days.

Tickets already purchased remain valid.

Supported by the Abu Dhabi Festival

Artists

EVENT TIMELINE

Bar opens
18:30
Hall opens
19:00
Start
19:30
No intermission
End
21:30
Bar closes
22:30
Times are approximate.

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T MISS THIS

THE ARTISTS

Bacem Yousfi

Bacem Yousfi has been playing the oud since the age of eleven. His teachers included Walid Nammouchi and Naseer Shamma at the Oud House Cairo, where he taught for two years. With Naseer Shamma he performed in various ensembles in Paris, Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Tunis, Berlin, and Barcelona, among others. Since 2008 Bacem Yousfi lives in France, where he studied musicology in Lyon and Paris.

 

Abdallah Abozekry

Abdallah Abozekry is an Egyptian saz player, music producer, and composer from Cairo. He graduated from the Oud House in his hometown in 2010. Since relocating to Paris in 2015, he has collaborated with artists from various backgrounds, including Sophie Alour and Joce Miennel. In 2018, he formed the Trio Abozekrys together with his brother, oud player Mohamed Abozekry, and French drummer Nicolas Thé. He also performs in the duo project Zamakan with French guitarist Baptiste Ferrandis.

 

Mohamed Abozekry

Born in Cairo in 1991, Mohamed Abozekry began playing the oud at the age of 11. After studying with Naseer Shamma at the Arab Oud House in his hometown for four years, he continued his education with Hazem Shaheen and Nehad El Sayed. Moving to France at the age of 18, he studied Musicology, Applied Music for Visual Arts, and Film Scoring at Lyon University. He has written film scores for several projects, including the anthology film 18 Days, which premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, and the short film N’sibi. He has worked with various artists in a broad variety of musical formations, among them the group Heejaz, the “Sufi project” influenced by the traditional and classical music of Egypt, and the Trio Abozekrys with his brother Abdallah Abozekry and Nicolas Thé, who released their album Don’t Replace Me by a Machine in 2018. He currently works on his debut album as a singer / songwriter.

 

Somar Al Nasser

Born in Homs, Syria, Somar Al Nasser on oud and buzuki at the Conservatory and the Oud House in Cairo. Today he lives in France and performs traditional repertoire as well as jazz.

 

Lorca Sbeity

Lorca Sbeity works as a poet, writer, and journalist. She has published poetry, children’s books, and articles on political and cultural issues in a variety of outlets. Her books of poetry include You Are Mine Now, You Are Free (2004), Nothing but Insomnia (2014), and most recently This Is All Before You. Her children’s book Two Homes Instead of One was named Best Children’s Book at the 2017 Etisalat Awards at the Sharjah Book Fair.

principal partner

YOUR VISIT

How to get there

Pierre Boulez Saal
Barenboim-Said Akademie
Französische Straße 33d
10117 Berlin, Germany

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Public transport

U-Bahn U2 Hausvogteiplatz (350m) U5 Museumsinsel, U6 Unter den Linden (600m)
Tram M1, M12 Mitte / Am Kupfergraben
Bus 147 Werderscher Markt (100m), 100, 300, N5 Staatsoper (300m)


By Car 
Q-PARK parking garage Unter den Linden / Staatsoper
Bebelplatz 2
10117 Berlin

Theatre tariff (5:30 pm – 11:30 pm by prepayment): €10

More information on getting there by public transport, bike, or car is available on our Getting there page.

Opening Hours

Box Office

Monday to Friday 2 pm to 6 pm
Closed on weekends and holidays
On performance days, the box office is open one hour prior to an event on weekdays and two hours on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.

 

Papagena Call Center

Ticket hotline +49 30 4799 7411

Monday to Saturday 9am to 8pm
Sunday and public holidays 2pm to 8pm

Food & Drinks

Casalot Catering welcomes Pierre Boulez Saal visitors before and after concerts, serving a variety of dishes of Arab cuisine.

On concert nights, the catering opens one hour before the start of an event and remains open after the performance. You may also place pre-orders for intermission right at the counter.

More info on our catering here.

Accessibility

To book wheelchair-accessible seating, other seats for visitors with disabilities, or companion seats, please contact us directly.


+49 30 4799 7411 
| tickets@boulezsaal.de 


All wheelchair seats are accessible by elevator. All visitors, including patrons using a wheelchair, will enter the Pierre Boulez Saal through the main entrance. Tickets will be checked at the hall doors.

In order to make access as easy as possible, we kindly ask that you inform us of your requirements when booking your tickets.

Restrooms for visitors with disabilities are located in the basement and on the balcony level and are accessible by elevator.

Four parking spaces for visitors with disabilities are available on the street Hinter der Katholischen Kirche.

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