Da Coda Musiqaa, founded by Kim Selber and Gulmira Abdukhalikova, is an initiative that aims to celebrate diversity in the arts by connecting and inspiring emerging musicians to collaborate and experiment as they develop their practice. Their first project, Kaleidoscope, brings together emerging composers from across the Emirates to showcase their work in a short video as part of Jaddaf Aloud Online.

Hana Boukhris

Hana is originally from Tunisia but calls the UAE home. She is one of the most talented Kanuni performers of her generation. Since the age of 7, she has stood out for her talent and passion. In 2012, she received the Arab Music Diploma from the Tunisian national conservatory. She relocated to the UAE and, in 2016, graduated with distinction from Bail Al Oud. Thirsty for knowledge, Hana pursued her learning with the famous Kanunist Goskel Baktagir. Excelling, as a performer, composer and teacher, has allowed Hana to participate in concerts around the world including Tunisia, Germany, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt and the UAE.

Composer’s statement
I composed “Daydreaming” for kanun, cello and percussion. My inspiration to compose was mainly based on my beloved hometown Salakta (Tunisia), my appreciation for women and my day-to-day experiences as a young lady. For this “Daydreaming” performance, Hana is joined by Mohamed Amine Ben Smida on cello and Aziz Belheni on percussion.

Klip Lester

An aspiring pianist, composer, and singer, Klip is an Anglo American, Grade 11 student at the American School of Dubai (ASD). Klip has participated in international choir festivals in Asia, Europe and the Middle East and performed at Dubai Opera Studio as part of their piano master class series. He is a member of ASD’s auditioned choral ensemble and jazz band. He is a founding musician in the Gulf Youth Music Chamber Society aimed at encouraging music collaboration among emerging artists in the UAE.

Composer’s statement
“Odyssey” is a fast-paced, tense piece written for French horns, trumpets, cellos, violins and percussion. The piece starts slowly, with chords from the cellos, before breaking out into a tense riff between two cellos. From there, the central theme comes in from the French horn, before being backed up by violins. After this, a midsection plays, with pizzicato violins, and a new cello line. The central heme reprises, with French horn, trumpet, cello, violins, and percussion, before a rising bridge section. This section segues into a final reprise, before cutting off abruptly. The thump of the percussion is the last thing heard.

Majd Al Sabbah

Self-taught piano player, Majd is a Syrian grade 10 student at an international school in Al Ain. Growing up, he always loved music and dreamt of playing the piano before being accepted into ADEK’s Mawhibaty Program for Talented Students, where he has flourished as a musician.

Composer’s statement
Music and I have always been in sync together. I have always listened to music, whether I’m studying, playing, eating, or just sitting alone. Music touches my soul to the point that whenever I listen to something, I always imagine different images and scenarios. And whenever I hear a special tune with a special rhythm, it never leaves my head, making me think of it all the time.

Ibrahim Al Junaibi

Emirati pianist Ibrahim Al Junaibi has nurtured a passion for music ever since he discovered the keyboard at the age of eight. At the time, Ibrahim was discouraged from pursuing his dream because his family deemed it culturally inappropriate, and he believed there was no future in the music profession. Yet, he continued to listen and research music, striving to understand the meaning behind the music. Before long, Ibrahim was reproducing the music tracks he heard on his keyboard. Twenty-four years later, the determined, pianist is composing music and is making his parents and country very proud.

David Dukov

Residing in the UAE for eight years, David began playing the piano at the age of eight. It has opened doors and taken him on a life-enriching journey. He has gained valuable experiences from undertaking the ABRSM piano practical exams, where he recently achieved a Distinction for Grade 8 and participated in the Emirates Peace Music Competition. Most recently, David has developed an interest in composing music, the first movement for a “Cello Sonata” for piano and cello. David finds the process of composing to be very interesting, especially as he is composing for instruments that he does not play himself. For this sonata, David researched how the cello works, its capabilities and limitations, so that the piece can be technically possible and enjoyable for a cellist to play.

Composer’s statement
In this composition, I wanted to represent the idea of dynamism, which forms a big part of modern life, especially in the UAE.

Being trained mainly in classical music, I decided to compose a piece that incorporates a lot of the traditional features of this genre, and so, its form is one of the most prominent of the classical period – the sonata form. The piece represents two different moods seen in the two subjects of the sonata; the first is very dramatic and forceful, while the second more tranquil and lyrical. There is a vast range of dynamics from pianissimo (very soft) to fortissimo (very loud) which help dramatise the piece and instances of more elaborate rhythms, especially in the development section, reminding the listener that the piece is not entirely classical– thus contributing to the idea of motion.

Overall, I think this is a piece that grabs the listener from the opening chords and tightly grips their attention until the very last chords.

Leendert van’t Riet

Leendert is Dutch/American and a university freshman studying commercial music production at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He aspires to score for visual media, particularly film. Leendert is primarily a vocalist and was chorally trained when he started his music journey. He was a three- year member of his high school’s auditioned choral ensemble and partook in multiple choral festivals around Europe and Asia. Currently, he is studying piano under Dan Karlsberg.

Composer’s statement
“Starless” was composed in October 2019 while I was studying at the University of Cincinnati. After listening to the works of Steve Reich, I was inspired to start composing using textures. For this reason, I gravitated to the piano, a very versatile instrument that I was already familiar composing for. My choice of instrumenting the piece for five pianos, however, was also to push the limit of what pianos are capable of. By using the same instrument playing different ideas over its entire range, rich texture is created. Simultaneously, it ensures that distinguishing the different instruments playing is impossible without listening very carefully, creating a wash of sound.