Maya Youssef @ Kilkenny Arts Festival
What does the idea of ‘home’ mean to a Syrian artist, displaced by the war? This is the question that drives Maya Youssef’s latest album.
Since her first appearance at the Festival back in 2018, the ‘queen of the qanun’ – the delicate, zither-like instrument popular throughout the Arab world – has embarked on a profound spiritual journey into the idea of belonging, and the result is Finding Home, a rich set of tracks that explores the full sonic textures of the qanun. Accompanied by a full band, Youssef conjures beautiful, life-affirming music that offers hope and consolation in troubled times.