Buurt Band Leiden Matilo, the New European String Quartet & Young Syrian Composers
Emerging Syrian Composers!
Buurt Band Leiden Matilo, the New European String Quartet & Young Syrian Composers
Date: 1 April 2026
Time: 16:00–20:00
Venue: Huis van de Buurt Matilo
Zaanstraat 126, 2314 XH Leiden
About the Concert
Emerging Syrian Composers! presents a new generation of Syrian composers and performers whose work bridges European classical traditions with Arabic maqam systems, microtonality, improvisation, and contemporary composition. The concert places Syrian music firmly within an international, contemporary context, focusing on artistic research, experimentation, and exchange rather than folkloristic representation.
A central element of this event is the active collaboration with the local community. By opening the programme with BuurtBand Leiden Matilo and continuing with a chamber music concert performed by the New European String Quartet together with young Syrian composers, the event connects neighbourhood-based participation with contemporary artistic practice.
Community Opening – BuurtBand Leiden Matilo
The afternoon opens with BuurtBand Leiden Matilo, an inclusive community music ensemble based in the Matilo neighbourhood of Leiden, an area with approximately 25,000 inhabitants. The BuurtBand operates from the Huis van de Buurt Matilo and reaches residents through local community centres, creating an accessible entry point to music-making for people with and without prior musical experience.
BuurtBand Leiden is part of a national network initiated by Fort van de Verbeelding and is locally coordinated by BplusC Leiden. Participants work with accessible and conventional instruments, focusing on collective music-making, listening, and shared ownership of the music.
The BuurtBand is led by Jiske van Loon. During this opening performance, several Syrian musicians from the concert programme will accompany the BuurtBand, creating a genuine moment of community collaboration in which neighbourhood participants and professional artists perform together.
Main Concert – Young Syrian Composers
Following the BuurtBand opening, the main concert presents chamber works by young Syrian composers, performed by the New European String Quartet in close dialogue with the composers themselves.
Programme
- Kinan Abuakel — Caprice (6′)
- Kinan Abuakel — Loyalty (for buzuq and Seaboard)
Composer: Kinan Abuakel · Arrangement: Samer Aleid - Anan Al-Kadamani — Confusion (solo violin)
- Samer Aleid — The Proclamation · The Crisis (piano)
- Anan Al-Kadamani — Two Folk Tunes (string quartet)
- Amr Zahereddine — String Quartet in B-flat
- Suhaib Al-Samman — Miniature for String Trio
- Samer Aleid — String Quartet No. 3
- Philip Glass — Company
Performers
New European String Quartet
Emlyn Stam — viola
Rada Ovcharova — violin I
Jellantsje de Vries — violin II
Willem Stam — cello
Young Syrian composers / soloists
• Anan Al-Kadamani — violin, composition, improvisation
• Kinan Abuakel — buzuq, composition
• Amr Zahereddine — composition
• Samer Aleid — piano, composition
• Suhaib Al-Samman — composition
Syrian pianist and composer Samer Aleid was born in Damascus and studied at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Budapest. His musical language brings together diverse influences, combining baroque forms, Arabic microtonality, and jazz improvisation in a distinctive contemporary style.
Winner of the Oscar Rieding Competition (2018), Samer’s work ranges from orchestral compositions such as Cosmos to experimental pieces including Sticks & Stones, exploring modern and twelve-tone compositional techniques.
Under his alter ego Linguafrancan, he also develops electroacoustic sound worlds, expanding his artistic practice beyond traditional piano repertoire.
His compositions often explore intercultural dialogue. In projects such as Ya Jarat Alwadi, he combines quarter-tone Arabic vocal traditions with Latin-influenced piano rhythms, creating a unique meeting point between musical cultures.
Now based in the Netherlands, Samer Aleid continues to explore the boundaries of contemporary composition and performance, with a style that is both intellectually rigorous and emotionally expressive.
Syrian composer and educator Amr Zahreddin is currently studying at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, continuing a musical journey that began in Damascus at the Higher Institute of Music, where he later became part of the academic community.
Driven by a strong foundation in music theory and a passion for expressive composition, Amr’s work is rooted in classical tradition while embracing the intensity and language of contemporary music. His compositions are marked by structural clarity, dramatic contrasts, and emotional depth.
His works have been performed in Syria, Lebanon, and Russia,
Syrian violinist and composer Anan Al-Kadamani is known for building musical bridges between European classical traditions and Arabic improvisational music.
Originally a self-taught musician, he later refined his artistic practice at Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam. His work explores the meeting point between structured classical forms and the expressive freedom of maqam-based improvisation.
As a performer and collaborator, Anan has participated in a wide range of projects, including performances with the Syrian Youth Orchestra and innovative collaborations with ensembles such as Safar Band. He is also co-founder of the experimental duo
About the Composers
The participating composers represent a broad artistic spectrum within contemporary Syrian music. Their practices interweave composition and structure, tradition and microtonality, improvisation and experimentation, and a strong engagement with contemporary chamber music. Together, they present Syrian music as a living, international artistic practice, rooted in musical heritage while shaped by research, migration, and present-day realities.
About the New European Ensemble
The New European Ensemble (NEuE) is a Netherlands-based contemporary music ensemble known for its imaginative programming and commitment to new music. NEuE creates projects that connect contemporary composition with social themes, interdisciplinary collaboration, and strong narrative concepts. The ensemble regularly performs at major venues and festivals in the Netherlands and internationally and collaborates closely with living composers.
For this concert, members of NEuE’s string quartet perform in close collaboration with the composers, shaping the programme through dialogue and shared artistic exploration.
Artistic Perspective
By bringing together BuurtBand Leiden Matilo, the New European String Quartet, and young Syrian composers, this concert creates a layered programme in which community participation and contemporary artistic practice meet. The result is a shared cultural moment that connects neighbourhood life with international contemporary music, grounded in encounter, listening, and collaboration.
