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Mögnuð kvöldstund með palestínsku tónlistarkonunni Nai Barghouti og fjölþjóðlegri hljómsveit hennar í Eldborg í Hörpu. Arabískar tónlistarperlur, afrísk-amerískur jazz, evrópsk klassík og seiðandi ný tónlist Nai sjálfrar í framúrskarandi flutningi. Missið ekki af einstökum tónlistarviðburði. Miðasala hefst mánudaginn 26. janúar.„Stórkostleg og voldug rödd Nai Barghouti sem er nístandi fögur og býr yfir bæði djúpri sorg og birtu vonarinnar“. (Pitchfork, 2025)
„Tónleikar sem urðu að ákalli eftir friði og mennsku…þar sem rödd Nai Barghouti og hið magnaða ferðalag sem hún bauð okkur í, umbreytti okkur“. (The Jazz Mann, 2025)
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Palestínska tónlistarkonan Nai Barghouti er rétt tæplega þrítug og hefur vakið athygli víða um heim fyrir einstæða tónlistarhæfileika og söngrödd sem lætur engan ósnortinn. Gagnrýnendur hafa ausið hana lofi fyrir djúpan, persónulegan og afar tjáningarríkan tónlistarflutning, rafmagnaða sviðsframkomu og fágætt samband við hlustendur. Hún byrjaði að koma opinberlega fram á sviði aðeins fjórtán ára gömul og var tvítug útnefnd bjartasta vonin í hollensku tónlistarlífi af hinu virta Concertgebouw-tónlistarhúsi í Amsterdam.
Á tónleikum með Nai Barghouti geta áheyrendur átt von á afar fjölbreyttri efnisskrá þar sem saman fara arabískar tónlistarperlur, afrískur og amerískur jazz, evrópsk klassík og frumsamin tónlist Nai sjálfrar en hún hefur orðið fyrir djúpum áhrifum af söngdívum svo sem hinni egypsku Umm Kulthum og hinni líbönsku Fayrouz og sækir í þeirra brunn. Nai Barghouti hefur sjálf þróað einstakan söngstíl þar sem jazz og arabískar tónlistarhefðir renna saman en hún segist alltaf hafa fundið sterka þræði á milli jazzspunans og tónlistarhefða Vestur-Asíu og Norður-Afríku.
Nai Barghouti hefur sungið og spilað fyrir troðfullum tónleikasölum víða um heim. Má þar nefna tónleika á London Jazz Festival, Edinborgarhátíðina, Theatre de la Ville í París, Elbphilharmonie í Hamborg, Flagey í Brussel, Concertgebouw í Amsterdam, Kennedy Center í Washington, og fjölmarga tónleika í Palestínu, Jórdaníu, Tyrklandi, Marokkó, Túnis, Bretlandi, Bandaríkjunum og víðar. Hún kom fram á Wembley-leikvanginum í Lundúnum í september 2025 á samstöðutónleikum fyrir Palestínu, sem skipulagðir voru af Brian Eno, og flutti og útsetti Vögguvísu (Lullaby) ásamt tónskáldinu Kieran Brunt sem kom út haustið 2025 til stuðnings íbúum á Gaza.
Á tónleikunum í Hörpu kemur Nai fram ásamt fjölþjóðlegri hljómsveit sinni en hana skipa Tony Roe á píanó og hljómborð, Khalil Khoury á qanun, Mark Haanstra á bassa og Ruven Ruppik á trommur og slagverk. Sjálf syngur Nai og leikur á flautu.
Tónleikarnir eru liður í dagskrárstefnu Hörpu um fjölbreytta, fyrsta flokks alþjóðlega tónlistarviðburði.
„Nai Barghouti minnti okkur á hvers tónlistin er megnug og hversu djúp tilfinningaleg áhrif hún getur haft. Hún var ekki einvörðungu að miðla tónlistinni heldur bauð hún okkur að stíga inn í heim sorgar og fegurðar, ástar og þrár, vonar og viðnáms. Og skildi okkur hlustendur að lokum eftir í djúpri geðshræringu“. (The Jazz Mann, 2025)
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An unforgettable evening with award-winning Palestinian singer, composer, and flautist, Nai Barghouti, at Eldborg in Harpa. Joined by her exceptional Amsterdam-based quartet, Nai will present a diverse repertoire that highlights her genre-defying blend of re-arranged renowned Arabic classics, with a unique fusion of pop, folk, European classical music, as well as her own spellbinding new compositions, all performed with exceptional artistry.
Do not miss this unique musical event. Ticket sales begin on
Monday, 26 January 2026.
"Her powerhouse voice... is piercing, clarion, mournful, and hopeful, all at once." (Pitchfork, 2025)
"Attending Nai Barghouti’s concert... was an experience not just of music, but of emotion, storytelling, and a deep, resonant call for peace and humanity. Without understanding Arabic, this, for me, was a concert of sounds and feelings—of being transported by the sheer power of her voice and the evocative journey she
crafted through song." (The Jazz Mann, 2025)
The Palestinian musician, Nai Barghouti, is one of the most distinguished vocalists of her generation. Her voice, critics have said, evokes vocal qualities of three leading Arab divas—Asmahan’s velvety depth, Umm Kulthoum’s powerful projection, range and control, and Fairouz’s angelic and deeply emotive head resonance. Nai has been praised by her deeply personal and highly emotional performances, her electrifying stage presence, and her rare connection with audiences, moving them to tears, laughs and elation.
Nai presents an exceptionally diverse programme that highlights her genre-defying blend of re-arranged renowned Arabic classics, with a unique fusion of Jazz, pop, folk, European Classical music, as well as her own original compositions. Nai Barghouti has developed a unique vocal style in which she seamlessly blends Arabic music with jazz and other music genres through her voice. She has often spoken of the strong connection she has always felt between jazz improvisation and the musical traditions of West Asia and North Africa.
Nai took this further during her studies at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where she was awarded a Master’s degree with highest honor in music. She explored the nexus between Arabic Tarab music and Jazz, eventually inventing her own unique multi-layered ornamental vocal technique - NaiStrumentation, which was featured on many of her works, including her highly acclaimed performance at the prestigious A COLORS SHOW in Berlin in 2024.
“Nai… has amazing presence as well as technical control. Her musicality is boundless. Whether she is singing a jazz standard, an Arabic classical song, or an improvisation on Bach, it’s effortless.” (Simon Reinink, Director, Royal Concertgebouw Theatre, 2020)
From her first concerts in Ramallah and Cairo at the age of 14 through her packed concerts around the world, including the London Jazz Festival, the Edinburgh International Festival, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Flagey in Brussels, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, as well as numerous concerts in Palestine, Jordan, Turkey, Morocco, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, and beyond. In September 2025 she appeared at Wembley Stadium in London at a solidarity concert for Palestine organised by Brian Eno, and she co-produced and arranged Lullaby with composer Kieran Brunt, released in autumn 2025 in support of the people of Gaza.
At Harpa, Nai Barghouti performs with her uniquely exceptional
quartet:
⁃ Khalil Khoury - an award-winning Qanun player, composer, and sound engineer. He is one of the most versatile and creative Palestinian musicians, admired for creating a unique and captivating sound that holds a rich rhythmical vocabulary, combined with his heartfelt melodies. He completed an advanced degree in sound engineering and music production, with distinction, at the Abbey Road Institute in Amsterdam in
2022.
⁃ Tony Roe is an award-winning pianist who began playing the piano at the age of 6. He graduated from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam in 2009 as a performing jazz pianist with distinction. Tony's unique incorporation of electronics into live jazz performance and to cross the borders with contemporary classical music began at the Conservatory. In 2009 Tony established Tin Men and the Telephone, a piano trio that integrates multi-media elements in their shows.
⁃ Ruven Ruppik is a renowned award-winning percussionist, specialised in different traditional music styles. He started at the age of 8 and quickly developed a special affinity for rhythm, groove, and all kinds of percussion instruments. During his classical percussion studies at the Detmold University of Music, he began to play traditional music from Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Macedonia, and Turkey in addition to western-classical and contemporary music. Ruven has a bachelor's degree in World Percussion and a Master's in North Indian Classical Music (Tabla) from Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam.
⁃ Mark Haanstra is a multi-award-winning versatile bass player based in the Netherlands, known for his recognisable sound, groove and flexibility in many genres. Mark has recorded and played in over 30 countries with an impressive number of
renowned artists such as Simon Phillips, Terry Bozzio, Theo Loevendie, the Barnicle Bill Trio (featuring drum legend John Engels), as well as the prestigious Concertgebouw Orkest, MDR Sinfonieorchester and many more. Mark is also a soloist in Steve Mackey's Grammy Award-winning work, Dreamhouse, which has been performed and recorded by several renowned orchestras such as the BBC and New York Philharmonic.
"This was more than a concert—it was a testament to the power of music to transcend language and speak directly to the heart. Even without knowing the lyrics, I felt every note, every breath, every emotion that Barghouti poured into her performance. Nai
Barghouti did not just perform; she invited us into a world of sorrow and resilience, of longing and love, of history and hope. And in doing so, she left us all profoundly moved." (The Jazz Mann, 2025)
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Event Venue
Austurbakki 2, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland, Austurbakki 2, 101 Reykjavíkurborg, Ísland, Reykjavík, Iceland
Tickets
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