Intimate concert
For her series Life In Concert, Nora contacts her fellow musicians through music and sharing personal stories and inner worlds. She thus puts together an intimate concert in which we get to know special people through their music and stories. Born in Paris and raised in Beirut, Layale became a versatile musician, influenced by the different languages, cultures and styles around her. Her musical world straddles the border between contemporary classical, jazz, Arabic music and improvisation.
Touring
She has toured extensively throughout Europe, North and South America, the Middle East and Asia, both as a soloist and with the many projects in which she is involved as an improviser or composer: from Oxford Orchestra to West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, Holland Baroque, Babylon Orchestra, Avignon Festival, Lucerne Festival, National Sawdust, London Jazz Festival, Wigmore Hall and New World Symphony. She also tours frequently with her own jazz quintet, Sarafand, of which she will present a smaller version in Splendor on April 15.
Nizar Rohana
The Palestinian musician Nizar Rohana (now living in Utrecht) developed a unique voice in the oud world. He combines virtuosity with fresh new compositions while beautifully preserving the authentic language of the oud. Nizar was born in the village of Isifya on Mount Carmel near Haifa city, where his father played the oud at public celebrations and his mother accompanied him on percussion.
Nizar started playing music at an early age, picking up the oud when he was 13. After many studies in oud, composition and musicology, Nizar devoted himself to developing new compositions for the oud, drawing inspiration from Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Brahms, to Tanburi Cemil Bey, Kemani Tatyus Efendi, Muhammad Al -Qasabji and Muhammad Abdel Wahab. Nizar played as a soloist and with various groups, from traditional to modern, experimental and world music. Over the past 15 years, he has played in countries such as Japan, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, and the US and Europe.
Layale Chaker - violin
Nizar Rohana - senior lecturer
Nora Fischer - vocals
