Mattijs van de Woerd presents: Van Istanbul naar Marrakech
Line up: Mediterraneo band & special guest Salah Eddin Mosbah (vocals)

Towards Marrakech – A Musical Odyssey Across Seas and Centuries

From Istanbul to Marrakech, embark on an enchanting musical journey along the shores of the Mediterranean. In this fourth edition of the Istanbul Midnight project, the Mediterraneo Band, featuring special guest vocalist Salah Eddin Mosbah, takes you on a voyage of discovery through centuries-old musical traditions in which cultures, languages and stories come together.

From the refined sounds of Andalusian music, deeply rooted in the historic world of Al-Andalus, to the majestic melodic lines of Ottoman classical music. The journey then leads to the raw, soulful sounds of rebetiko, the evocative street music of Athens and Istanbul. This is music filled with melancholy, passion and joie de vivre, bringing the rich history of the Mediterranean world to life.

A special place is reserved for makam, the intricate melodic system that plays a central role in Turkish and broader Middle Eastern musical traditions. Dr. Michalis Cholevas will give a short, inspiring presentation exploring the historical background, classical forms and improvisational traditions of makam. Through live musical examples, he will demonstrate how this centuries-old tradition allows room for personal expression, particularly in the instrumental taksim and the vocal gazel.

Mediterraneo Band
The Mediterraneo Band was founded in 2022 out of a shared passion for the musical traditions of the Mediterranean. The musicians, hailing from Syria, Turkey, Greece, Germany and the Netherlands, came together through their shared experiences at Codarts WMDC in Rotterdam. Their music brings Arabic, Greek and Turkish traditions into a fascinating dialogue between heritage and innovation. With vocals, violin, clarinet, piano, drums and double bass, they create a rich and colourful sound in which authentic makam traditions blend with contemporary musical influences.

Mediterraneo Band & Salah Eddin Mosbah:
Salah Eddin Musbah (MA) - vocals
Pelagia Tsiachri Renta (GR) - vocals
Burak Savaş (TR) - vocals, violin
Caner Malkoç (TR) - clarinet
Yiorgos Bereris (GR) - piano
Ektoras Remsak (GR/PL) - drums
Ayman Hajjmian (SY/NL) - double bass

Special guest: Dr. Michalis Cholevas, offering a musical introduction to the world of makam.

This project has been made possible in part through the financial support of the Amsterdam Fund for the Arts (AFK), Fonds 21 and the Cultuurfonds (Catarina Latina Fund).