Maya Youssef

In a special concert for Kings Place, acclaimed qanun player and composer Maya Youssef offers a different perspective on country of origin Syria; one shaped by artistry, resilience, and cultural richness. Maya performs repertoire from her albums ‘Finding Home’ and ‘Syrian Dreams: A Prayer For Peace’ with her quartet in presenting Home Songs: a journey through loss, beauty, and belonging.

Viewed from London, Syria is often seen through the lens of conflict, politics, and displacement. In this special concert for Kings Place, acclaimed Syrian-British qanun player and composer Maya Youssef offers a different perspective: one shaped by artistry, resilience, and cultural richness.

Joined by Ben Smith (piano), Simon Roth (percussion), and vocalist Hamsa Mounif, Maya creates an intimate and deeply affecting musical experience. Drawing on music from her albums Syrian Dreams and Finding Home, alongside Syrian folk classics, she also presents for the first time in London excerpts from a new body of work exploring resonances between Syrian traditions and folk music from across the British Isles. Through stories of remembrance, migration, and identity, the programme traces a path from longing to renewal, revealing unexpected threads between cultures and generations.

Maya Youssef

Hailed as ‘queen of the qanun’, Maya Youssef is a globally renowned, award-winning qanun player and composer from Syria who is now based in London. Born in Damascus, because of the war in her home country Maya arrived in the UK in 2012, one of the very first artists to be invited under the UK Government’s Global Talent visa scheme, endorsed by Arts Council England as an Exceptional Talent; in November 2023 she became a British citizen. Since then, Maya has pushed the boundaries of the qanun (a 78 stringed plucked zither traditionally played by men) and has performed at the South Bank, BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, The Barbican, Shakespeare’s Globe and WOMAD Festival.

Ben Smith

Ben Smith is a London-based pianist and composer. Alongside his regular work with Maya Youssef he specialises in contemporary and experimental music. Described as one of ‘the finest new-music pianists in London’ (Tempo) and praised for his ‘extraordinary precision and insight’ (The Guardian), he is sought after as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing with ensembles such as An Assembly, Apartment House, Athelas Sinfonietta, Explore Ensemble, London Sinfonietta, Riot Ensemble, and Uproar Ensemble.

Simon Roth

Simon Roth is a drummer, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist and producer working across contemporary and klezmer music. Raised in a musical family on the edges of London, between forest, motorway, and the Metropolitan line, his listening ranged from big band jazz a