Muslim Shaggan is a classical vocalist from Pakistan. A golden voice with a tender, soulful musicality rooted in the rich heritage & learning descending from Bhai Mardana (1459-1534), the muslim musician companion of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism. This lineage of Rababi musicians eventually adopted the prestigious Gwalior gharana style of Hindustani vocal music. Muslim was trained from a young age by one of its finest exponents, his grandfather, Ustad Ghulam Hassan.

He released Asar, his debut album, earlier this year on honiunhoni, the label of Ustad Noor Bakesh. Accompanied by harmonium & tanpura, Asar is a collection of South Asian styles; geet, ghazal, thumri, and kafi in a close voiced intimacy evoking nighttime reflection & deep spirituality.

“in the presence of something special” Maria Lord, Songlines

Quinie (pronounced qu-why-nee, “young woman” in the Doric dialect) is a singer working from the Scots folksong tradition. 

Both reverent and radical, Quinie’s approach to the tradition draws in voice and pipes, including canntaireachd (the vocal mimicry of pipe music) alongside toasts, improvisations, and poetic settings. Singing largely in Scots, one of Scotland's three official languages along with Gaelic and English, Quinie suggests this expression connects directly to “the landscapes I love” and acknowledges the ancestors that came before.

Her style is inspired by the Scottish Traveller singers, such as Sheila Stewart, and this respect and storytelling encourages celebration of travelling presence & history, often marginalised and discriminated against in modern Scotland, “despite being custodians of so many of our important traditions”.

For Quinie’s third album, Forefowk, Mind Me, following earlier releases on GLARC, she journeyed across the landscapes of the West of Scotland with her horse to explore the interconnected relationships between people, ancestors, animals, and place. The album has been met with much acclaim and features the distinctive musical voices of Ailbhe Nic Oireachtaigh & Harry Górski-Brown among others. Quinie is a vital presence in the song lines that thread Scottish greats such as Lizzie Higgins, Jeannie Robertson and Sheila Stewart together.

“unfiltered, ripe singing voice resonates like a siren…Alive with ideas” Jude Rogers, The Guardian.

Durga Ramakrishnan is a traditional musician who performs in the Carnatic style of Indian classical music known for its complex melodies and rhythms.

From a young age, Durga learnt music from her grandmother, Smt C. N. Kalpakam, and performed in cultural programmes such as All India Radio & Chennai’s Doordharshan. Durga is a workshop leader, founder of the Ragavidhya Music School specialising in Carnatic vocal & instrumental performance, devotional songs, Bhajans & Tamil music.

For Durga, the seven notes / tones (swaras) of Indian Classical Music hold an emotional depth which encourages the player & listener to transcend boundaries, opening out the imagination towards greater learning & experience.

For this evening's concert Durga presents a series of Carnatic vocal ragas.

This will be a wonderful chance to experience such focused voice work amongst The Cube’s wood panelled auditorium resonance.