The When Paths Meet concerts initiative is an exploration of our connection through music. Its goal is to awaken something deep in the soul: a recognition of our self in the other.
When Paths Meet was conceived by acclaimed British composer Sami Yusuf and launched in 2022. At its heart is a love of world music traditions and a wish to reveal the deep connections among them. In the three years since its initial launch at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, When Paths Meet has been bringing together highly skilled artists from around the world to share their musical legacies in never-before-heard creative exchanges.
“I’ve had a love affair with world music traditions from childhood, for the ways they can express the most subtle realities that exist just beyond words. When Paths Meet is born from that love.”
– Sami Yusuf
When Paths Meet Founder
Projects
ONE
When Paths Meet
The first in the When Paths Meet concert series, ONE was performed at Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw in 2022. Sami Yusuf composed, arranged, and conducted nine pieces for The Sami Yusuf Ensemble, Cappella Amsterdam, and The Amsterdam Andalusian Orchestra, creating visionary synergies among their distinct styles.
L’Amour
When Paths Meet
This second concert in the When Paths Meet series was composed and arranged for The Sami Yusuf Ensemble, The Scoring Orchestra of Paris, and The Métaboles and performed on two nights at the Philharmonie de Paris in 2023. Here Sami Yusuf draws on traditions from China to West Africa to France, forging creative links throughout.
Alma
When Paths Meet
Alma: When Paths Meet, the third concert in the When Paths Meet series, was performed to an overflow crowd in Morocco as the anchor event of the Fes Festival of World Sacred Music in 2023. Under Sami Yusuf’s direction, the compositions here joined flamenco guitar and cante with Andalusian melodies in an artistic alchemy.