Concert Series

Wednesday 26 April, 2023, 6.30pm start

Alvorada are an award-winning quintet who play Brazilian instrumental music inspired by the choro tradition. From their original compositions to classics of the genre, Alvorada’s shows are filled with lively and expressive melodies combined with infectious Brazilian grooves and playful interaction! 

Alvorada have performed at festivals and venues across the UK and beyond, with sell-out shows at the London Jazz Festival, Pizza Express Live and Paris International Choro Festival. Their debut album First Light, released in 2019, was received with much critical acclaim, leading to BBC Radio 3 and JazzFM appearances. They have recently recorded their second album, and will be performing many of the compositions and arrangements featured on the new album at SOAS. Alvorada also won the LUKAS and Focus Brasil awards for ‘Best Brazilian Band’. Alvorada unites top musicians from London and Brazil, whose diverse backgrounds - including jazz, classical and Brazilian music - lend the group a unique edge. 

Wednesday 29 March, 2023, 6.30 start

(Doors and bar open from 6pm)

An evening of Indonesian music together with the screening of a new film Calonarang Transformed, a retelling of a Balinese tale of transformation and magic. The film is part of a collaborative project by choreographer and dancer Ni Madé Pujawati, composer Nick Gray, anthropologist Mark Hobart, and Lila Bhawa Indonesian dance troupe, exploring fluidity and transformation in Balinese music and thought. The concert features SOAS-based group Segara Madu playing gendér wayang, a quartet of bronze metallophones used in Bali to accompany the shadow play (wayang kulit). There will also be a performance of a genre of folk music and dance from Banyuwangi in East Java, known as gandrung.

Wednesday 31 May, 2023, 6.30pm start

We welcome one of India’s great sarod maestro/composer of world-renown Ustad Wajahat Khan, to perform with the internationally acclaimed tabla virtuoso Pandit Sanju Sahai. Also accompanying on the tanpura will be two of Ustadji’s disciples Dr Richard Williams and Dr Samia Khatoon, Head of Music and Senior Lecturer at SOAS respectively. This concert is in memory of Ustadji’s late father, India’s legendary sitar & surbahar maestro Ustad Imrat Khan. Raags to be performed will be announced on the evening of concert, depending upon the artist’s mood along with the mood of the evening.

This will be followed by a post-concert Q&A session with Ustad Wajahat Khan and the audience.

Wednesday 25 January, 2023, 7pm start

Enjoy a relaxed evening of music & culture from the Arabic-speaking world at the fourth edition of ‘Open Mic Night – A Night of Arabic Music’; a MARSM event hosted by SOAS Concert Series.

After three sold out Open Mic Nights which saw a range of performances from talented singers and musicians and drew in large audiences from across London, we’re back for the fourth time at another exciting new location.

Join us at Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre at SOAS University for a night immersed in the beautiful sounds of the region. Bring your friends, order drinks at the bar, and get ready for another incredible line-up of live performers bringing you everything from covers of the likes of Umm Kulthum, Fairuz and Mashrou' Leila, to original songs and exclusive mashups.

Book your place here

Tickets are £8.68 including fees

Wednesday 22 February, 2023, 6.30pm start

Brunei Gallery Lecture Theatre (BGLT)

An evening of music from Ruhiya’s debut album “Ginhawa”, featuring musicians Zayn Mohammed (guitar, oud, ney and rebab), Jason Reyes-Walsh (bass), and Filippo Galli (drums). Meaning breath in Visayan, “Ginhawa” is inspired by Ruhiya's matriarchal Filipino roots and explores themes of nature, spirit, and dreams. The songs share stories through soulful vocal melodies, percussive rhythms, Filipino folk, and jazz fusion.  

"...the soothing soundscape Mohammed has created provides the canvas for Ruhiya's beautiful voice" - John Clewly, Songlines Magazine