Maya Youssef 'Syrian Dreams'

Maya Youssef began writing music after she fled Syria as a result of the Syrian Civil War. Since then she has travelled the world sharing her music, which she performs on the qanun. A qanun is a traditional Middle Eastern instrument with 78 strings which is plucked. Her music is rooted in Arabic classical tradition but also has moments of jazz, western classical and flamenco. 

‘As any Syrian will tell you, there is this overwhelming sense of loss and an overwhelming sense of grief. Because that world which existed before the war started, despite it naturally having problems, was a beautiful world with a booming economy, artistic scene, film festivals and visiting international artists, Damascus was the third safest city in the world. The loss of that world was heart wrenching and, in a way, steered me towards a universal concept of home. The main trigger that made me create Syrian Dreams was the Syrian war and the loss of my homeland. And it’s only by embarking on that spiritual journey of constant meditation and of finding home within God and within myself that I started to feel consolable and started to feel that I have my own home within me.’