“Salak” music project ready to shine!

Last year we posted about an ambitious project that was being worked on by The Institut Francais Du Koweit. It was initially titled “Herrad Project“, but has now been renamed to “Salak“. “Salak” is a Franco Kuwaiti musical encounter mixing the traditional oud and the contemporary Chapman Stick. On a personal level, this is one of the most exciting projects for me. We are honored and pleased that The Institut Francais Du Koweit has chosen Kuwait Music once again to be their media partner!

4 french artists meet with 2 kuwaiti artists

Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at 7 :30PM
Shamiya Theater (Opposite to Shamiya co-operative)

Free Admission

“Salak” is a French Kuwaiti artistic project which will mix traditional music from both countries in a contemporary way.
After an “artistic residency” of 5 days, French and Kuwaiti artists will present a unique show on the 3rd of April on the stage of the famous Shamiya Theater

“Salak” is built around the meeting between a French artistic team composed of four musicians and two Kuwaiti musicians and will mix Kuwaiti and Breton-French traditional music in order to create a space for dialogue between traditional music from eastern and western through the encounter between two instruments: the oud, a traditional instrument, and the chapman stick, a contemporary instrument which was invented in the early 1970s that combines guitar and bass in one single neck. “Salak” will bring the audience through time on a journey of musical discovery to re-experience traditional music. It is a chance for adventurous musicians from a diversity of traditions to seek common ground, creating new musical combinations

Institut Francais in collaboration with Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah will organize this cultural exchange that connects people from different cultures background to celebrate the power of the arts through the creation of original, inventive music.

“Salak” will take place from March 25 – April 3, 2013 and will consist of two segments, an artistic residency and a concert.
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The artistic residency:

A time for musicians to be immersed in a process of collaborative music creation and experimentation.
During the residency, French and Kuwaiti artists will spend 5 days at the Al Maidan Cultural Center. They will meet to collaboratively write original music which will be a cultural fusion mixing songs from traditional repertory of Kuwait and France and multicultural influences.
The residency will be a unique moment of exchange for musicians who want to work together, across borders of musical traditions and backgrounds in order to build cross-cultural interaction and create a unique musical work that values the complexity of each tradition and where musical traditions and improvisations will enter into dialogue. This creative process exemplifies how people from divergent musical backgrounds, with diverse training, conceptions of music, and aesthetics, can negotiate differences and find a fertile interplay of cultures that maintains the integrity of each tradition.

The concerts

The show will be built around a constant dialogue between the Oud and the Chapman stick. Two shows will be organized in Kuwait.
The first will be held on Wednesday, April the 3rd at 7:30 pm at Shamiya Theater (Opposite to Shamiya co-operative). It will be presented as a part of the cultural season of the prestigious Dar al Athar al Islamiyyah.

The musicians of the “Salak”

The project is built around the meeting between 4 French artists and 2 Kuwaiti artists
Nicolas Radin, composer / arranger and musician who has gathered more than ten years of experience as an artistic director of multicultural projects proposed this project to Institut francais du Kuwait. He will be in charge of the overall composition of “Salak”.

Artists are selected for:

- Their ability to attune with other individuals,
- Their desire to develop experience with other cultures.