Alif Hilal / Mohammad Reza Mortazavi / Asmaa Hamzaoui

Premiered at Biennale Musica and specially commissioned by the Festival, this new transcultural work brings together the American composer and vocalist Alif Hilal, formerly known as Lyra Pramuk, and the Iranian musician Mohammad Reza Mortazavi, one of the foremost performers of traditional Persian percussion, whose groundbreaking approach has radically redefined its technique. Alif Hilal's futuristic vocal incantations—often compared to those of Meredith Monk and Cathy Berberian—provide the point of departure for an exploration of electronic layering and extended techniques, reimagining timeless folk traditions through a contemporary sonic language. They are joined by Egyptian multi-instrumentalist Islam El-Ghazouly, performing on Moroccan sintir, Slovak fujara and electronics.

Ancient knowledge meets the present in the work of Asmaa Hamzaoui, the first woman to perform the sacred Gnawa musical tradition, practised in Morocco by the descendants of sub-Saharan Black slaves and traditionally reserved for men. She comes to Biennale Musica with Bnat Timbouktou, the ensemble she founded in 2012. Rooted in ancestral ceremonies and rituals, the hypnotic rhythms of Gnawa songs and music find a new generation of interpreters in Asmaa Hamzaoui. Her work is not only a celebration of women's voices, their heritage and resilience within Morocco's sacred traditions, but also an expression of their transformative power, bringing together ancient roots and contemporary visions in a singular musical language. Since 2019, the Gnawa cultural tradition has been inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.