As clarinet virtuoso Kinan Azmeh sees it, the ancient sounds of Arabic music never get old. “In our music there is always a continuum between the old and the new, between the traditional and the contemporary,” he explains. “But I don’t really see the differences. It’s not like we’re on a mission to re-promote this musical heritage. We’re just keeping our minds and ears and eyes wide open to the vocabulary we use on a daily basis.” Azmeh was raised in Damascus, Syria before he went to study at New York’s Juilliard school. Today he plays with western chamber music groups, jazz musicians and folkloric groups on tour around the world.

Read More: Edmonton Concerts Celebrate Ancient Sounds of Arab Music

The Arab revolts have shaken the status quo, shattering ideologies and threatening dominating discourses. They have spurred new debates and creative movements throughout the region, questioning capitalism and globalisation, Arabic and western identities and the nature of cultural exchanges. The Alif Ensemble, composed of an Iraqi-Syrian oud player with a British education, a Palestinian buzuk musician, an Egyptian electronic music composer, a Lebanese drummer and a Syrian bass player, are one of the most fascinating projects to have emerged in the region in the past few years.

Read More: The Alif Ensemble: The Sound of Transition