DUBAI: Morocco’s Mohamed Briouel, an expert in Arab-Andalusian music, and Turkish performer Kudsi Erguner will team up for a joint concert in Belgium.
The event is a collaboration between the Abu Dhabi Festival (ADF) and the Belgian Center for Fine Arts, bringing together two masters of the classical music traditions of their homelands in Morocco and Turkey at Bozar’s prestigious Henri Le Bœuf Hall in Brussels, the oldest and largest arts center in Belgium.
Huda Ebrahim Alkhamis, founder of the Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Foundation (ADMAF) and artistic director of ADF, said in a press release: “Our support for Arab artists abroad, to bring the wonder and beauty of music from the Arab world to audiences around the globe, is at the heart of Abu Dhabi Festival. Mohamed Briouel, the leading figure in Arab-Andalusian music, and Ottoman music master Kudsi Erguner, coming together is a must-see encounter. Their creative collaboration celebrates the meeting of cultures through music and represents Abu Dhabi Festival’s efforts to build bridges of understanding between people and nations.”
Portrait of Kudsi Erguner. Supplied
Briouel was born in 1954 in Fez, Morocco. In addition to being an acclaimed musician, he is also the director of the Arab-Andalusian Orchestra of Fez.
Meanwhile, Erguner is considered a master of traditional Mevlevi Sufi music and is one of the best-known players of the Turkish ney flute, one of the oldest musical instruments still in use.
ADF is now in its 18th edition. Running until 2022, the year-long-program is a combination of virtual and in-person performances, exhibitions and events. Guests can also look forward to 16 world premieres, 12 festivals and one global music tour, among other events.
