Acclaimed Iranian-born, Helsinki-based composer Marouf Majidi is performing music from the Middle East and North Africa on 23 October in Newham, London and on 25 October in Oxford. Having lived in Turkey, Africa, the Netherlands and now Finland, Marouf’s work combines musical and cultural influences from all over the world.

As part of Royal Docks’ Originals Festival in London, you can learn and share songs from the Middle East and North Africa with local musicians in a World Music Workshop led by Marouf Majidi on 23 October.  Come along and enjoy the resulting performance of the songs the same evening, led by Marouf and accompanied by an ensemble of local Newham-based musicians. The workshop and the concert are free of charge.

Marouf also leads a free World Music Workshop at East Oxford Community Centre on 25 October and then performs a free gig at the Covered Market, with support from local band Delnavaz, bringing a fusion of traditional Persian tunes and Hindustani rhythms.

The performances form part of Dash Arts’ project Dido’s Bar, exploring migration, identity and Europe, which culminates in a music theatre production at Royal Docks in autumn 2022.

Saturday 23 October 2021, 4.30pm-6.30pm, World Music Workshop with Marouf Majidi at Royal Docks, The Silver Building bar, 60 Dock Road, London E16 1YZ. Free but ticketed, get tickets here. 

Saturday 23 October 2021, 7.30pm, Songs from the Middle East and North Africa at Royal Docks, The Silver Building bar, 60 Dock Road, London E16 1YZ. Free but ticketed, get tickets here. 

Monday 25 October 2021, 1.30pm-3pm, Middle Eastern Music Workshop with Marouf Majidi at East Oxford Community Centre, 44 Princes Street, Oxford OX4 1DD. Free but ticketed, get tickets here. 

Monday 25 October 2021, 7.45pm, Sounds from the Middle East at Covered Market, Market Street, Oxford OX1 3DZ. Free but ticketed, get tickets here. 

Picture credit: Ammar Haj Ahmed