Learning how to learn how to unlearn (in englischer Sprache)
In this talk, Aya Metwalli shares her journey from a classically untrained musician to a master's student in music composition, navigating the contemporary music world without formal classical training. She will discuss the challenges she faced, the creative strategies she developed, and how she embraced her own musical background to carve out a space in the Western contemporary musical world.
Aya Metwalli (*1988) is an Egyptian vocalist, improviser and composer-performer particularly skilled in singing microtonal Arabic maqam. She grew up in Cairo where her father would play non-stop Oum Kalthoum songs on their family road trips to the beach. Her mother, known to have the most beautiful voice in the family, always sang at home and at gatherings with family and friends. Long before she was able to form her own taste in music, Aya was fed an extensive repertoire of classical Arabic songs and melodies that now lie on a bed of velvet in her heart. Described as «a musical enigma» by The Guardian and a musician who «crafted a spellbinding brand of anti-pop» by Pitchfork, Aya sings like a woman in a death wail, heavily influenced by traditional Arabic song, combining the sultry with the macabre and wedding noise to melody. At present, Aya is exploring extended vocal techniques, attempting to push the limits of her vocal cords and body and continues to experiment with performance and improvisation.
ayametwalli.com
