Seffarine: Abaraz

From the edge of Morocco’s Sahara comes “Abaraz” or “Gateway to the Sahara,” a new multimedia concert by Seffarine that brings together live music, immersive film, and stories from a landscape shaped by centuries of movement and cultural exchange. Inspired by Seffarine’s journey to Mhamid, an oasis town at the southern edge of Morocco, Abaraz follows the musical pathways connecting Morocco, the Sahara, West Africa, Andalusia, and flamenco.

The live performance features original music by Seffarine alongside guest artists from Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and New York City, accompanied by stunning video footage filmed in the Moroccan Sahara by Spanish filmmakers Pablo Macias and Soledad Villalba. The Sahara has often been imagined as a barrier. For centuries, it was a bridge, a crossroads where people, languages, traditions, and music met and traveled across the desert. “Abaraz” brings that crossroads to the stage.

Seffarine, the ensemble founded by Lamiae Naki and Nat Hulskamp, returns to The Reser to perform their new concert and celebrate the release of their new album, “Abaraz”.

“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