KHYAL - Searching for peace

In the organizer's words:

KHYAL - Searching For Peace

A weave of jazz and poetry, interwoven with the languages of the Middle East

A unique timbre and wonderfully complex compositions and arrangements - this is what singer and composer Sophie Tassignon stands for.
With KHYAL, Sophie Tassignon enables us to experience a musical encounter between cultures. The project stands for tolerance and acceptance of peoples from all over the world, regardless of origin or belief systems. The music makes it possible to experience the beauty and artistry that can be created through cross-cultural collaboration.

Tassignon's work with Syrian refugees in Berlin in 2016 led her to begin learning Arabic and seeking a deeper understanding of Arabic culture. This work is now leading to the birth of her latest project "KHYAL".

Khyal's next album is inspired by the conflicts in the Middle East. "I want to make a statement for peace by setting Arabic and Hebrew poems to music. On the album, I sing these poems in both languages. By "singing" both languages side by side, we find a way to human harmony."

"KHYAL", which comes from the Arabic word for "imagination", can be translated as "memory of and longing for something long gone". KHYAL" blends poetic Arabic and Hebrew texts with jazz traditions from Europe and North America. The group, which consists of four international musicians based in Berlin, performs settings of the words of Mahmoud Darwish and Rachel Tzvia Bach, among others.

Other lyrics were written by Sophie Tassignon and translated from English into Arabic by Hicham Nasr.

Supported by Initiative Musik gemeinnützige Projektgesellschaft mbH with project funds from the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media