Concert dates
- ANU Concert: ANU Llewelyn Hall, 26 March 2019
- Sydney Concert: Great Hall Sydney University, 29 March 2019
- Tickets will be on sale for Canberra and Sydney.
From London’s Kings Place to the Kuwait Opera House, the pioneering Oxford Maqam has wowed audiences with their expertise in classical Egyptian music and song of the 19th and 20th centuries. Their self-recorded album, “The Wax Cylinder Recordings”, described as ‘revolutionary’ by Songlines magazine, used recording techniques dating a century ago. As a generous Christmas gesture, Oxford Maqam has offered a taste of their entire album on Youtube.
Whilst the Arabic music scene is known for their innovation of popular music, Oxford Maqam offer fresh and innovative interpretations of classical Arabic music. By reviving heritage Egyptian music through use of a highly original process, Oxford Maqam concerts offer an insight into live renditions of music steeped in Arab heritage. This process includes the first recordings using wax cylinders since circa 1903, for their debut album, appropriately titled, “The Wax Cylinder Recordings.”
This project promotes both understandings of Arabic culture and history in Australia to the wider Australian population through an interactive exposure to Arabic music by professional musicians of 19th-20th century Arabic music that originated from Egypt. This event encompasses two concerts to be held at the University of Sydney and Australian National University (ANU) and a workshop at ANU designed to provide an educational experience for students.
The Oxford Maqam concerts are supported by the Commonwealth through the Council for Australian-Arab Relations, which is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; The ANU Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies; The ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences, The ANU Research School of Social Sciences, and the ANU Humanities Research Centre.
