Seffarine: Abaraz

Seffarine, the ensemble founded by Lamiae Naki and Nat Hulskamp, returns to The Reser to perform their new concert, “Abaraz” or “Gateway to the Sahara.” Naki, whose family roots are in Southern Morocco, traveled to Mhamid El Ghizlane, a small oasis town where Arab, Amazigh, West African, and Saharan traditions have crossed paths for centuries. Along with Seffarine co-founder Hulskamp, the duo recorded with local musicians and documented the community’s songs and stories-traditions increasingly reshaped by climate change and migration.

That material forms the heart of “Abaraz,” original compositions alongside traditional pieces performed by Seffarine, an ensemble spanning Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and the Pacific Northwest. Frame drums, oud, guimbri, Gnawa percussion, flamenco cajón, and Naki’s voice carry music that has traveled ancient trade routes for generations, woven together with video projections and field recordings from Mhamid.

“Abaraz: ⴰⴱⴰⵔⴰⵣ A Multimedia Concert from Morocco’s Saharan Crossroads” is supported by grants from the Oregon Community Foundation and The James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, and was commissioned by the PRAx Center for the Performing Arts at Oregon State University.

Sponsored by Ronni Lacroute