La Rosa Ensemble
The La Rosa Ensemble brings together Moroccan singer Anass Habib, French accordionist Benoît Rey, and Dutch-Turkish-Arabic guitarist and oud player Göksel Yilmaz. Together, they perform contemporary interpretations of Middle Eastern songs in an intimate setting.
Themes and Repertoire
Taking the audience on a musical journey through this rich cultural history, the ensemble performs centuries-old traditional songs sung in Arabic, Aramaic, Turkish and Sephardic. In doing so, they convey the underlying feelings of love, connection, homesickness and longing that characterise this music. By singing in the languages of different religious communities, they convey a message of peace and brotherhood between these cultures. The concert programme also features songs by the world-famous Lebanese singer Fairuz, who, according to legend, does not smile during her performances until there is peace in the Middle East. The result is a compelling performance with a repertoire that is rooted in ancient musical traditions yet feels fresh and modern.
The trio’s passion for the music, together with their virtuosity and technical excellence, ensures an unforgettable experience!
The musicians
Anass Habib is a singer and music teacher from Fes, Morocco, who grew up in a musical family. He studied singing at the conservatoires of Fes, Aleppo and Damascus, specialising in early Christian Aramaic chants, Andalusian and Sephardic songs, as well as traditional and classical Arabic music. He performs with various ensembles at home and abroad.
Göksel Yilmaz is a Turkish-Arabic composer, guitarist, singer and oud and saz player who grew up in the Netherlands and Turkey. Having studied classical guitar at the Conservatory of Enschede, he is best known for the ‘Göksel Yilmaz Ensemble’, with which he has released several albums and performed at the Music Meeting, Dunya Festival, Rasa, Tivoli and the Concertgebouw, to name a few.
Benoît Rey is an accordionist and music teacher in France and Switzerland. A graduate of the conservatoires of Villeurbanne and Grenoble, he is renowned for his diverse repertoire spanning electronic, jazz, classical, lyrical, gypsy and rock music. He has played on Polish, French, Belgian and Swiss albums.