Rihab Azar Residency at AMAR Biennale - first edition 2025 - Songs of Satire

A residency by musician Rihab Azar at the AMAR Biennale in Lebanon.

May 2025

The Foundation for Art & Psychoanalysis is delighted have supported a residency by London based Syrian/ British musician Rihab Azar as part of the The AMAR Biennale, in Beirut, Lebanon.

The residency brought together six musicians, including Rihab, and took place 4-11 May 2025 at the premises of AMAR in Qornet el-Hamra, while the public programme happened at Sursock Museum in Beirut (6-11 May). The Foundation for Arab Music Archiving and Research's (AMAR) first edition of its biennial event focused on satirical song, addressing its critical role in addressing social and political issues, as well as its impact on local and wider Arab audiences throughout the past century.

The programme offered a broad programme of activity, including the artist residency, the release of a new audio and research publication, curated panel discussions , film screenings and a series of AI generated shorts. It concluded with a live concert on Sunday, 11 May at Sursock Museum at which Rihab Azar performed.

The Biennale marks a bold shift from AMAR’s typical archival work to a more public, performative, and critical engagement with Arab musical heritage. It aims to revive collective memory and cultural imagination through curated themes that speak to contemporary realities.

Rihab Azar at the AMAR Biennale residency

Rihab Azar

Rihab Azar is a London-based, Syrian/British oud player. Performing internationally since 2008; in 2014 she became the first woman oudist to perform accompanied by the Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music, and in 2016 Arts Council England recognised her as a musician of 'Exceptional Promise'.​

As well as composition, performance, music education & community workshop leading, Rihab has had many contributions as a speaker and a writer in events/platforms addressing issues such as music & social justice, culture, war & migration, decolonisation, equity/diversity/inclusion, intercultural music-making, and education. She was Wigmore Hall's Trainee Music Leader for 2022-23 working in participatory projects at various community settings.