Composition | Performance
With Mona Miari, Eylem Basaldi and Zafer Tawil
With Immersive Maqam, my intention is to weave shared connections through music and human relationships — a situation free from any cultural hierarchy, where elements of Middle Eastern Maqam modal music blend with jazz, contemporary and electronic music to form a unique sonic world that transcends notions of style and tradition.
Maqam music is a traditional Middle Eastern musical system based on complex melodic modes, called maqams, which use microtonal intervals. This system offers great expressive richness and allows a high degree of improvisational freedom.
The project is based on encounters between ancient instruments and real-time electronics that extend and transform their possibilities. The goal is not to create a ‘world music’ project by decontextualizing traditional sounds, but to foster collaborations that build a shared language where sounds are complementary and inseparable.
Immersive Maqam is a modular format designed to adapt to a wide range of spaces and contexts — from the traditional theater setting to installative forms in museums, art centers, public spaces, or heritage sites. The music rises like a continuous breath, inviting deep, immersive, and at times meditative listening. The voice of Mona Miari, the violin of Eylem Basaldi, and electronics intertwine to create a rich and expressive sonic texture. With Zafer Tawil — virtuoso of the qanun, oud, and percussion — the dialogue expands between melodic immersion and rhythmic pulsations.