FolkAndRoots Present The Albaidar Duo

The Albaidar Duo will take audiences on a journey through the rich traditions of Arab folk and classical music, with a special focus on Syria, where both musicians have their roots. In a chamber setting, listeners will be immersed in evocative melodies and rhythms, exploring essential themes of love, nature, and homeland.

The duo presents Arabic music in carefully crafted arrangements, enhancing the traditional timbres of the oud, daf, riq, and nay with the Western flute.

The Albaidar Duo is a unique collaboration between two independent artists that began in 2014 while they were members of the Prague-based ensemble Ziriab. In 2023, Kristýna and Marwan released music videos as a tribute to Arab divas Asmahan and Layla Mourad. In May 2024, they performed at
Kettle’s Yard gallery in Cambridge in response to an exhibition by Syrian visual artist Issam Kourbaj. Inspired by one of the exhibition’s recurring themes—wheat seeds—they took the name Albaidar (البيدر(, referring to the threshing floor, where wheat is separated from the chaff—a symbol of refinement and transformation. In January, the duo performed at Mezrab – The House of Stories in Amsterdam and is set to give several concerts across Europe this year.

With a blend of Slovak and Syrian heritage, Czech flautist and singer Kristýna Farag draws on both classical music and Middle Eastern traditions. A versatile independent musician, she specialises in 20th-century and Arabic music, as well as improvisation with her Prague-based quartet, Fahrzavö. Passionate about choral music, particularly the British tradition, she is also a member of the Leeds Guild of Singers, led by Benjamin Kirk. She has recorded with and performed at international festivals alongside renowned ensembles such as the Baborák Ensemble and the Prague Symphony Orchestra and won first prize in the flute trio category at the Friedrich Kuhlau International Competition in Uelzen, Germany, in 2011.

Marwan Alsolaiman is a Damascus-born, Prague-based musician, poet, and teacher. Having learned to play the oud, Middle Eastern flutes (nay), and various percussion instruments, Marwan founded Ziriab, an ensemble devoted to the Arabic musical tradition. He is a member of the early music ensemble Kvinterna.
Marwan collaborates with several Czech bands, bringing Middle Eastern elements to the Czech folk scene. He leads workshops and gives lectures on Arab music and instruments. He is also a teacher of Czech as a foreign language and physics.
As a prolific poet, he writes in both Arabic and Czech and has released two collections of poems.