New professorship

As of 1 December 2022 I am Professor of Intercultural Performing Arts at Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam, and the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts in Leiden. This is a fantastic opportunity to draw together the multiple strands of my hybrid creative practice, and work with a Read more…

Iranian oud

For a long time the oud was disparaged in Iran, even though the Sassanian empire was fundamental to its development centuries ago. One key to its twentieth-century revival was the musician Mansur Nariman. I recently recorded some of his short pieces.

No Sacred Place

 Rachel Beckles Willson · No Sacred Place I was asked to write a piece exploring the idea of place, in sound. In response, I examined how a place is not only as a physical location, but also a trigger for experience which can be expressed in sound. I used Read more…

Manchester Art Gallery sound work

Following the bombing of the Manchester Arena in 2017, people of Manchester gathered tributes in an enormous spontaneous memorial, which was subsequently collected and stored by the Manchester Art Gallery. Now known as the ‘Manchester Together Archive’, this collection serves as a reference point for the way the city came Read more…

Oud lessons London

Oud lessons in Manchester

Are you interested in learning oud? I teach Arabic, Persian and Turkish traditions as part of my affilliation with the Royal Northern College of Music, where I am Honorary Research Professor. Feel free to get in touch and arrange a consultation lesson.

New work! Unwept Tears

What happens to our secrets? What happens to our hidden stories? Eventually they find their way out. Unwept Tears began as a story and became a piece of music before turning into a film. Text and music by Rachel Beckles Willson Narration, oud, udu and sampled voice: Rachel Beckles WIllson Read more…