Maya Youssef: Teaching Arabic Music, Overcoming Challenges, and her Creative Life Through the Qanun
Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman
07/31/25
•76m
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I’m delighted to welcome Maya Youssef, the world-renowned "Queen of the qanun" and innovative British-Syrian educator .You can also watch on YouTube, and the transcript is linked as well to my website: Maya shares with us how her frustrations with the traditional teaching of Arabic music led her to develop her unique system for teaching musicians and dancers in a completely different way. She also shared her past personal crisis as a victim of domestic abuse and how she found the strength to get out of that danger, which is shockingly pervasive. In fact, she said that she chooses to be vulnerable in sharing this because we never know who is listening. You will be uplifted with clips from Maya’s beautiful second album Finding Home, which I encourage you to buy, and you’ll find all Maya’s projects linked in her website . She also talked to me about her exciting upcoming projects in 2026, including her book about learning and teaching Arabic music, her upcoming album and tours, and her wonderful collaborators. Maya spent the interview with her kanun and you’ll hear her demonstrate several times, including a beautiful improvisation on maqam Rast.
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I’ve linked several episodes I’m sure you’ll love: Ali Omar El-Farouk Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto
(00:00) Intro (02:07) the kanun with demonstrations (08:15) Maya’s youth in Syria (12:38) clip of Silver Lining and more about Maya’s musical education (19:57) challenges with learning taqsim, and how she developed her method (31:13) qanun music: taqsim on maqam Rast (33:03) improvising, composing (35:18) other linked episodes and ways to support this podcast (36:04) musical influences and composing (38:26) clip of An Invitation to Daydream (38:24) avoiding injuries, album Finding Home, creative process with clip of In My Mother’s Sweet Embrace (44:30) Al MacSween, Elizabeth Nott (46:37) about Soul Fever with clip (51:14) Leo Abrahams (53:21) learning from mentors, learning to be entrepreneurial, clip From My Homeland (57:00) surviving domestic abuse and the importance of speaking about it (01:04:01) SOAS graduate school Musicology (01:06:06) Aziza Mustafa Zadeh (01:07:38) two versions of Walk With Me, with clip of version with Leo Abrahams (01:11:05) Maya’s upcoming book about learning and teaching Arabic music, new album, balancing her career
Previous Episode
Lily Henley: Sephardic Identity, Ladino Language and Songwriting
July 26, 2025
•59m
The wonderful singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and scholar Lily Henley sings in the endangered language Ladino and during this podcast you’ll hear clips from her album Oras Dezaoradas. Blending her roots in American and Celtic music, Lily creates powerful original music that honours centuries of Sephardic women’s voices. These songs tell timeless stories of love, loss, exile, and resilience, sharing her personal connection to this important tradition.
You’ll also learn about:
- Sephardic history and contemporary communities
- Lily’s unusual childhood
- how she’s learned to trust her voice
Like all my episodes, you can also watch this on my YouTube channel and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website.
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Other Episodes for you: Polina Shepherd Ida Gillner Jean Rohe Kavisha Mazzella Yale Strom Alicia Svigals
(00:00) intro
(01:39) Sephardic culture and history, Ladino language, album Oras Dezaoradas
(11:15) clip of Porke Yorach Blanka Ninya, Paris Ladino mentors Marie-Christine Bornes-Varol, François Azar
(13:41) about Esta Noche Te Amare with clip, Fulbright, Paris Sephardic community
(21:53) how close is Ladino to Spanish, clip of Duermite mi Alma, Susana Weich-Shahak, starting Doctorate at Harvard
(29:44) other linked episodes and ways to support this series
(30:39) balancing academic life and touring
(33:40) Lily’s childhood
(39:11) about Arvoles Yoran Por Luvya with clip, Dunca Wickel
(44:49) first album Words Like Yours
(48:23) Morena Me Yaman clip, identity as singer and multi-instrumentalist
(57:12) why there’s a track of fiddle tunes with clip
Next Episode
I'm re-releasing this episode, because my improvising ensemble Collected Strands have just released our second album, Volume 2, also with beautiful cover art by Maryanne Moodie.
This is a special episode of my podcast, celebrating Volume 1 with my improvising ensemble Collected Strands. The other musicians in the group have all been featured previously on this series, and you’ll find the links to those episodes below, with cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne, pianist James McGowan and drummer Mike Essoudry. I’m also delighted that you will get to know the inspiring Australian artist, educator and author Maryanne Moodie who’s woven art graces the cover of this album. You’ll find the link to her work as well. I am also releasing the interview with Maryanne as a separate stand-alone bonus episode connected to this episode. I feel that all my listeners who love music and creativity will find that Maryanne’s personal journey and perspectives will resonate strongly with them, and I hope some listeners in the weaving and art world will also be inspired by the musicians!
We are including excerpts from the album during this episode, and you can listen to both albums here: Bandcamp
To listen to my individual episodes with the members of the group, head over to my website where you'll also find the video and transcript of this episode.
photo of Collected Strands: Curtis Perry
cold open with Raphael Weinroth-Browne (00:47) excerpt from Solace, Volume 1 Collected Strands (01:45) intro about the episode, Maryanne Moodie (03:45) James and Leah talk about recording the album, the process of improvising (07:35) intro to Unsettled Night with excerpt (10:16) group discussion, Mike Essoudry using bass bow, creative process in improvisation (12:20) percussive, random textures intro to Chaotic Kittens with excerpt (15:15) Mike and James on creative process (19:25)James and Leah on putting the album together, choosing titles, intro to Baroquinerie with clip (23:58) Raph’s perspectives on improvisation, group discussion (34:52) Leah and James genres, improvised chamber music, intro to Summer’s Eve with clip (38:03) Interview with artist Maryanne Moodie: her start in weaving, writing her books, nurturing our creativity creating commissions, how the audience takes in art, the community of weavers (55:09) ways you can support this podcast (56:03) group discussion, audiences (01:00:37) comments on The Long Journey Home and Summer’s Eve, A Simple Magic with clip
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