Hear it Live!
12 November, 3.30pm – Gallery Square
Born in Shafaa`mr in the lower Galilee, Saied Silbak is a distinguished London-based Palestinian composer and oud player who transcends cultural borders. His musical journey began with classical piano at age four, but it was his teenage transition to the oud that sparked a lifelong immersion into the soul of Palestinian and Arabic music. This dual foundation in Eastern and Western traditions defines his sophisticated and evocative approach to composition and improvisation.
Silbak’s academic pedigree is extensive; after training and teaching at the ‘Beit Almusica’ Conservatoire, he studied Music and Psychology at the University of Haifa before earning a Masters from London’s prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama. His career is marked by various collaborations with international artists and contributions to major projects, including Ken Loach’s film The Old Oak.
Now based in London, his signature sound is a masterful fusion of Arabic, Turkish, Indian, jazz, and Western classical influences. A sought-after performer on the international stage, Silbak has captivated audiences at festivals across the UK, Europe, North Africa, and South America, establishing himself as a vital, “boundary-blurring” voice in contemporary global music.
10 December, 3.30pm – Hands on Base
Originally from Sardinia, Emanuele Addis is a London-based lutenist and composer whose repertoire spans the Renaissance, Baroque, and contemporary music. He will present a solo programme of 17th and 18th-century lute music by Italian, English, German and French composers.
About Hear it Live!
Hear it Live! often includes performances on our four historical keyboard instruments, three of which, from the former Finchcocks Musical Museum, were restored to playing condition thanks to National Lottery funding.
The instruments are:
- A rare surviving example of a signed Neapolitan virginals by Onofrio Guarracino, 1668;
- A beautifully-preserved square piano by Adam Beyer, London, 1777;
- A 1772 Kirckman harpsichord; and
- A handsome English chamber organ, possibly by Joseph Beloudy, London, c.1800.
Find details of previous performances you can still watch below.
Watch one of the previous performances
- Pablo Tejedor-Gutiérrez and Sonia Hrechorowicz on the Cello and Kirkman harpsichord
- Grifton Forbes-Amos and Kian Cardenas on the guitar and trumpet
- Bantu Arts on the talking drums
- Linda Nicholson on the 1777 Beyer square piano
- Stephan Farr plays the English chamber organ
- Robin Bigwood performs on the Italian virginals
- Performance by Callum Anderson playing the English chamber organ
- Performance by Dominika Maszczyńska playing the square piano
- Performance by Linda Nicholson playing the Kirkman harpsicord
- Performance by Linda Nicholson playing the square piano
- Performance by Callum Anderson playing the 1772 Kirckman harpsichord
- Performance by Dominika Maszczyńska playing the 1772 Kirckman harpsichord
- Performance by Josef Laming on the virginals
- Performance by Steven Devine, At Home with the Horniman (part 2)
- Performance by Steven Devine, At Home with the Horniman (part 1)
- Performance by Masumi Yamamoto on the harpsichord
- Performance by Rebeca Omordia on the square piano
- Performance by Marilyn Harper on the organ
- Performance by Katarzyna Kowalik on the square piano
The Hear It Live! recordings were made possible through the generosity of the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
