On Friday March 17 at 8 PM, a musical treat is on offer at Riad Zany in the Fez Medina. The Majlis Trio, from France, will be performing a selection of their rich repertoire of traditional oriental music from Turkey, Greece, Syria, Egypt, Azerbaïdjan and Arab-Andalusian music from the Maghreb
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| Aline Haelberg |
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| Léo Fabre-Cartier |
Oud player Léo Fabre-Cartier has been living and performing in Fez for the past six months, since he came to study with master oud player Chiki Ahmed. "I love being here, and I actually get more opportunities to perform the kind of music I like, than when I was living in France," he says.
Leo trained as a classical and jazz pianist, before discovering his passion for the oud. After studying at the
Ecole Nationale de Musique de Villeurbanne, he obtained a diploma in Traditional Eastern Music.
Since then, he has participated in numerous musical projects combining different styles of traditional oriental and Western classical music, as well as traditional styles from Corsica, Brazil, Cuba and Cape Verde.
This year he has accompanied contemporary dance choreographer Nacera Belaza and performed at the first edition of the Festival and Poetry Slam held in Kenitra and Fez.
On Friday evening, fellow musicians, Aline Haelberg (violin and alto) and Thibaut Rocheron (percussion), will be joining Leo from France, where they have appeared together many times as the Majlis Trio.
Leo says that because the music the
Majlis Trio plays draws on very different styles, the points of rhythmic and melodic convergence mean that they are "accessible to people from different cultures".
Aline Haelberg began studying the classical violin before joining the jazz and improvised music department at the Conservatory of Metz. Since September 2011, she has been working in the jazz and traditional music departments at the
Ecole Nationale de Musique de Villeurbanne.
As well as performing with the
Majlis Trio, Aline appears with the groups
Zakouska (Romanian Music);
Asymetrio (compositions) and
Neftouli (klezmer music and Moldovan). She is also a musician and actor in two new circus companies,
Cie Cie Equinote and
Mélocirca well as the theater company
The Cheetah Echapée.
 |
| Thibaut Rocheron |
As an adolescent, Thibaut Rocheron became fascinated by jazz percussion, before moving on to the
djembe and
derbouka drums. He is currently studying oriental percussion at the
Ecole Nationale de Musique de Villeurbanne, while teaching at the School of Music Valmuse.
Thibaut's taste for rhythm and harmony has also led him to work with several musical groups in Lyon, who perform Eastern, medieval, renaissance and oriental music. "The
derbouka allows me both to play solo, and it also enhances the rhythmic feel of other instruments," he says. Thibaut prefers Eastern rhythms as, "they are not written, and that freedom encourages improvisation".
What: Concert by the Majlis Trio from France
When: Friday May 17 at 8 PM
Where: Riad Zany, 5 Derb Ronda, Laayoune, near the R'Cif vegetable souk.
Pick up: Cinema Amal at 7.50 PM
Cost: Donation for the musicians
More info: 06 72765657 or theviewfromfez@gmail.com
UPDATE: The popularity of the trio is such that a second concert will be held at Fez Cafe on Sunday (May19) with an entry fee of 30 dirhams per person.
After the concert Fez Cafe is putting on a special menu for 220 Dirhams with the chef delivering a tasty menu that includes:
• Rolled eggplant with cheese
• Fillet of sea bass with seasonal vegetables
• mascarpone cake and orange
Reservation for dining is essential
Le Jardin des Biehn
13 Akbat Sbaa Douh
30110 - Fez Medina - Morocco
Port: 00212 (0) 664647679
mail: contact@jardindesbiehn.com
site: http://www.jardindesbiehn.com
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60 chairs awaiting their seat covers
The concert was attended by a very special guest, Wilna Wilkinson, who had first visited Fez several years ago and was present on the day the decision to purchase Riad Zany was made. The concert, was supposed to be a birthday surprise, but the need to publicise the event meant she was aware of it in advance. However, her genuine delight at the evening, was proof enough that it was a present she will remember.
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The crowd of 70 settle in for the performances
The first half of the concert was a collection of Christian and Islamic songs of the 
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Our thanks to all the workers behind the scenes who made it a wonderful evening. Mouaniss (Sidi Fixit) and Sanaa from Riad Zany. Lumen, Karima from The View from Fez and Mike and his team from the Clock Cafe. Special thanks to Frederic Calmes for all his work since joining us at The View from Fez.
