Shubbak: Chronicles of Majnun Layla | أخبار مجنون ليلى

Kareem Samara is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer and organiser, currently finishing an MA in Sonic Arts at Goldsmiths University, London. His particular area of interest is in diasporic identity and de-colonial possibilities of sound and music. As well as performing solo with traditional Arabic instruments and electronics, Kareem is a serial collaborator with musicians and poets worldwide. He is part of an international trio with Ryan Harvey and Shireen Lilith, whose songs explore the link between struggles such as Black Lives Matter, the Arab Spring and beyond.

Syrian oud player and music educator, graduate of the Conservatoire of Damascus (2014). Rihab was the first woman oudist to perform accompanied by the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music (2014). In 2015, she was a recipient of  a Chevening scholarship which enabled her to study Music Education at Master’s level at UCL. A year after, Arts Council England Recognised Rihab as a musician of “exceptional promise”, which allowed her to work in the UK as a “Migrant Talent”. Since 2015, Rihab has performed in the UK as a soloist and in ensembles and orchestras such as the London Sinfonietta and the newly-formed Third Orchestra. She has collaborated on several interdisciplinary, compositional and cross-genre projects and has been featured multiple times on different BBC platforms. Through her regular appearances, Rihab has supported the causes of several community groups, organisations and initiatives active in the fields of education, migration, women empowerment and social justice. Kareem Samara Biog: Kareem Samara is a multi-instrumentalist, improviser, composer and organiser, currently finishing an MA in Sonic Arts at Goldsmiths University, London. His particular area of interest is in diasporic identity and de-colonial possibilities of sound and music. As well as performing solo with traditional Arabic instruments and electronics, Kareem is a serial collaborator with musicians and poets worldwide. He is part of an international trio with Ryan Harvey and Shireen Lilith, whose songs explore the link between struggles such as Black Lives Matter, the Arab Spring and beyond.