Lusail Museum Conversations Presents Echoes Of Cairo Panel And Concert

Doha, Qatar: This September, Lusail Museum Conversations, an ongoing series of public lectures and events, is bringing the musical heritage of Cairo back to life with Echoes of Cairo: Reviving Egyptian Music from 1900, a panel talk and concert with the acclaimed ensemble Oxford Maqam.

Presented as part of Qatar Creates Talks that connects local, regional and international perspectives through interdisciplinary conversations across art, design, architecture, film, music and in partnership with Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), the event takes place at GU-Q.

The panel talk takes place on Monday September 28 from 5.30pm to 7.30pm in the Faculty Conference Room, featuring musical extracts alongside discussion. Members of Oxford Maqam will discuss the repertoire, recordings, and history behind the music, and the challenges of reviving works first captured on ageing shellac records.

Speakers include Professor Martin Stokes, King Edward Professor of Music at King's College London and an internationally recognised ethnomusicologist whose research focuses on music, identity, and cultural life across the Middle East; Dr Bashir Saade, a lecturer at the University of Stirling and an Arabic nay flute musician whose work bridges musical heritage with sound studies; and Dr Sophie Frankford, a Research Associate at King's College London and an anthropologist whose research explores Egyptian musical cultures, archives, and the social life of music in the region.

The concert follows on Tuesday, September 29, from 6pm to 7.30pm in GU-Q's Auditorium, bringing this repertoire to life in a full live performance steeped in Arab heritage. The evening features performances by five members of Oxford Maqam: Martin Stokes, Bashir Saade, Sophie Frankford, as well Tarik Beshir, a vocalist and oud player specialising in the faithful revival of late 19th- and early 20th-century Ottoman Egyptian music, and Walid Zaido.

Renowned for its innovative approach to classical Arabic music, the group recreates historical works through extensive research and period recording techniques, restoring forgotten repertoire for contemporary audiences.

Registration for the panel talk is available via and the concert at

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