Toronto concerts

A luminous encounter of kindred musicians: between poetry and inspired musical dialogue.

With this ensemble that has traveled the world’s stages for over a decade, strings and voices embody the beauty of Persian and Mandinka music. Master of the kora Ablaye Cissoko and setâr player Kiya Tabassian immerse us in a gentle sonic reverie. A musical conversation at its finest, elevated by the rhythms and subtleties of percussionist Patrick Graham. Inspired by the estuary—this space of transition and transformation—three exceptional artists craft a vast palette of colors with cosmopolitan accents.

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.