Violinist Shalan Alhamwy and accordionist Jonas Malfliet present their first album, Safar (“traveling” in Arabic). The album travels from Syria to Belgium, past traditional melodies from among others Syria, Turkey, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany and Belgium. These were arranged with elements that also come in handy when traveling: improvisation, nostalgia, friendship and virtuosity.

Their group name Damast Duo refers to the fabric damask, originating from Damascus, the capital of Syria. Damask became very popular throughout Europe throughout history.

This cultural exchange also takes place in the duo. Shalan enjoyed a classical violin course at the Damascus Conservatory, played with the Syrian National Symphony Orchestra, but also mastered Arabic traditional music. Jonas grew up in the Western European musical tradition, but after many travels and international music camps he feels at home in many styles.

They met in 2017 at an Arabic violin workshop in Ghent, where Shalan Alhamwy taught a lot of violin students … and one accordionist. After the lesson they played together, and that immediately clicked, with the beautiful album “Safar” as a result.