Events List

Event: Ancient Songs of Devotion from Kurdistan, Woven with the Mystical Tones of the Celtic Harp with Tara Jaff.
Venue: Meeting Room, Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh, EH1 2JL.
Time: 7pm for 7.30pm-9.30pm.
Event Description: Tara Jaff will present traditional Kurdish songs with lyrics of 17th and 18th century Sufi poets of Kurdistan blended with the soothing sounds of the Celtic harp played in an innovative style adapted to the musical rhythms and mode of the region.

The harp (chang in Kurdish and Persian), the oldest know stringed instrument, had a presence in Iranian music until the 17th century. The change was often mentioned by the mystic poets of the region.

Tara Jaff is a Kurdish musician who has been exposed to many influences. Over the years she experimented with different string instruments, but it was her fascination with the ancient harps of Sumeria, Assyria and Elam, dating as far back as 3000BC, that led her to the contemporary Celtic harp. Tara has embraced this instrument and has introduced it to Kurdish music, and in particular to folk songs. She has developed an innovative style to adapt to the various musical rhythms and modes of the region, bringing a contemporary expression to an ancient form of song and music.
 
Tara has been living in the United Kingdom since 1976, and she has performed widely in concerts, festivals, conferences and galleries, mainly as a solo artist, and she has featured regularly in radio and television in several countries. Her occasional collaborations have been with a wide range of artists; musicians, singers, poets, storytellers, painters and film-makers. She is also involved in outreach work where she brings her harp to hospitals to play soothing music to the patients and staff. For more information on Tara Jaff see: www.tarajaff.com
Cost: £10/£8 (Concessions) on the door on the night.
Contact: Neill Walker, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 0131 331 4469.