Ud Festival: Ahmed El Maai, Amsterdams Andalusisch Orkest, Cappella Amsterdam & Matangi Quartet

Ahmed El Maai

Ahmed El Maai is a multi-talented ud, qanun, viola and vocalist. He is one of the most talented musicians in Morocco. Ahmed El Maai's love for Andalusian music originated at the Tangier Conservatory. Since 2005, he has combined Andalusian music with other styles. Tonight, he will present his new album in the Kleine Zaal, taking his audience on a journey to the roots of the ud. On the album, he has adapted various classics with plenty of attention for the ud as a central connector. He pays tribute to these classics that have shaped him as a person and artist in Tangier, Brussels and Amsterdam: from the folk sound of the Maghreb to the spiritual sounds of his great example Umm Kulthum.

Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra

Ahmed El Maai says: 'My music has to sound warm and close to the source. The album El Maai is a personal portrait.' Especially for this concert he selected musicians from the Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra, Cappella Amsterdam and the Matangi Quartet, who contribute to these warm timbres. The Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra was founded in 2011 to connect the Andalusian heritage in the field of art and culture with the present. The ensemble brings the music back to Europe, and combines this with stories, poems and theatre. The orchestra is formed by musicians from home and abroad. And over the years it has worked with renowned musicians from all kinds of genres, from Arabic to jazz and flamenco.