Oum Kalthoum and Khayyam's Quatrains

01dec19 h i minOum Kalthoum and Khayyam's QuatrainsWhereVancouver, Canada

Event Details

Kiya Tabassian and his ensemble Constantinople present a contemporary reinterpretation of the Rubaiyat, the renowned collection of poems by Persian poet, astronomer, and mathematician Omar Khayyam. In collaboration with singer Ghalia Benali, they pay tribute to the legacy of Umm Kulthum, the iconic voice of Middle Eastern music, by revisiting the compositions of Riad Al Sunbati that brought these quatrains to life. Through new arrangements and original compositions by Tabassian, the project creates a vibrant dialogue between centuries-old Sufi poetry and the sounds of today, bridging Arab and Persian musical traditions.

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On stage

  • Kiya Tabassian,  setar, voice and artistic direction
  • Ghalia Benali, voice
  • Didem Basar, qanun
  • Abdul-Wahab Kayyali, oud
  • Neva Özgen, kemenche
  • Lina Belaid, violoncelle
  • Javier Núñez, positive organ
  • Patrick Graham, percussion
  • Hamin Honari, percussion

Time

1 December 2026 19 h i min(GMT-08:00)

Location

Christ Chuch Cathedral, 690 Burrard St.

Where

Vancouver, Canada

Constantinople - Kiya Tabassian, Ablaye Cissoko, Patrick GrahamConstantinople and the Accademia del Piacere on stage