What would it sound like if a jukebox, lost at the bottom of a river, tried to make music again? This piece was the result of a collaboration with Distractfold’s Daniel Brew and Alice Purton. “The juke box that drowned” Read more…
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 Read more…
I was booked to play oud in Roxanna Panufnik’s opera Dalia, the story (libretto by Jessica Duchen) of a refugee in the UK, who finds her way into the hearts of local people through hr passion for cricket. The opera Read more…
I was fortunate to have an artist residency to develop music within Olympias Music Foundation’s Migrant Voices project. The spontaneously-formed band in which I co-created music was called “Soap of My Heart”. Migrant Voices was the premiere performance of 4 Read more…
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 Read more…
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 Read more…
I composed this mixed-media work for bassist James Banner. It responds to the radical uncertainty of life during a pandemic, particularly as it has hit musicians. In the first part, ‘Playing on, nevertheless’, I explored fragmentation and playful resilience: a Read more…
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 Read more…
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 Read more…
I am honoured to have been invited to join Kirill Gerstein in the distinguished online forum for leading thinkers hosted by Kronberg Academy on 20 May, 5pm BST (6pm CET). “Sound journeys with the oriental lute”. What can Europeans learn Read more…