Ibrahim Keivo

Sacred & Traditional Music from Syria

📅 21 March 2026
🕗 20:00
📍 German Evangelical Community Church
Bleijenburg 3B
2511 VC The Hague
Netherlands

Tickets:https://arabfilmfestival.stager.co/shop/default/events/111621460

Ibrahim Keivo (Syria / Germany) is a Syrian-Armenian singer and multi-instrumentalist who, like no other, represents the rich and multifaceted musical cultures of Mesopotamia. A true troubadour of multicultural Syria, Keivo carries ancient musical traditions from Armenian, Syriac, Kurdish, Yazidi, Mardalli, and Bedouin communities. He sings in multiple languages and performs on a wide range of traditional string instruments, including tar, saz, bağlama, rabab, buzuq, and oud.

Keivo has given solo recitals and concerts in some of Europe’s most prestigious venues, including the Elbphilharmonie, Alte Oper Frankfurt, and the Kölner Philharmonie. He has performed and recorded with the NDR Bigband and numerous international ensembles. His distinctive repertoire has also been presented at the Maison des Cultures du Monde in Paris, the Institut du Monde Arabe, and at festivals throughout Europe and the Arab world.

Born in 1965 in northern Syria into a family of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, Ibrahim Keivo grew up in a region where Syrian, Mesopotamian, and Levantine cultures converge. After studying in Aleppo with the influential Syrian composer and musicologist Nouri Iskandar, he gained recognition as both a performer and a researcher of the rich oral musical heritage of the Al-Jezireh region.

Keivo’s work has earned him international acclaim, numerous awards, and collaborations spanning traditional music, sacred chant, jazz, classical, and contemporary world music. His performances are deeply expressive and historically grounded, offering audiences a rare opportunity to encounter musical traditions that have been passed down orally for centuries — alive, resonant, and profoundly human.

Kinan Abuakel & Tom van Genderen

Buzuk & Voice – An Intercultural Dialogue

Before welcoming Ibrahim Keivo to the stage, the evening opens with a refined and intimate duo performance by Kinan Abuakel and Tom van Genderen.

Kinan Abuakel is a Syrian buzuk player, composer, and project leader with over fifteen years of experience in composing, performing, and music education. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus and a Master’s degree from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam.

Kinan has performed internationally with numerous orchestras and ensembles and has appeared as a soloist at major festivals and prestigious stages worldwide. He is a recipient of several cultural grants and awards, including support from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), Culture Resource, and the Golden Residence for Artists in the UAE.

He has released two solo albums dedicated to the Arabic buzuk and has taught at various music institutions in Syria and the Netherlands. Alongside his artistic work, he is deeply engaged in community-based music initiatives in the Netherlands, focusing on cultural exchange, circle connection, and creative cooperation.

Tom van Genderen is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and music educator who studied performance practice and music education at the conservatories of Maastricht and Amsterdam. He sees music as a way to connect and interact meaningfully with the world.

Tom performs both as a solo artist in local cafés and in collaboration with other musicians in theatres and venues. His recent artistic explorations focus on the fundamentals of harmony, vocal expression, and the relationship between voice and string instruments.

Education plays a central role in his practice. Each week he works with approximately 300 children between the ages of 4 and 12, guiding them in discovering how to make music, what music can mean, and what role it may play in their lives. His pedagogical approach intertwines social interaction, creativity, and playfulness to create meaningful musical experiences. He is currently developing community-based artistic projects in the city of Delft.

Together, Abuakel and van Genderen create a sensitive and intercultural musical dialogue, weaving the expressive depth of the Arabic buzuk with Western harmonic exploration and vocal storytelling.

We are happy to co produce many events with Roterdam Arab Film Festival is this project  in this project and other Project.