Marcel Khalife, Rami Khalife, and Aymeric Westrich

The legendary singer, composer, oud player and folk hero Marcel Khalife makes his Scottish debut at the Edinburgh International Festival.

Dubbed the Bob Dylan of the Arabic world, legendary singer, composer, oud player and folk hero Marcel Khalife is a musical freedom fighter, a global ambassador for his Lebanese heritage and a pioneering innovator of Arabic musical traditions.

From protest songs and political ballads to bewitching improvisations of an extraordinary spiritual intensity, his powerful, poetic music defies categorisation. He has been a vital presence in Arabic and world music, and has campaigned for artistic and humanitarian causes, since the 1970s. In 2005 was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace.

For this concert of intimate reflection and high-energy rhythm, he is joined by his eldest son Rami Khalife, a classically trained pianist and composer, and regular collaborator with his father, as well as virtuoso percussionist Aymeric Westrich. Together the trio perform songs from Marcel Khalife’s decades-long catalogue, as well as new compositions fusing classical, electronic and dance music by Rami Khalife.