A Storytelling Live Performance Blending Sound Composition, Archive, and Dream

This piece emerged from witnessing the quiet strength of loved ones—Palestinian partners, friends, and grandparents in Beirut—trembling but never collapsing under the weight of grief and injustice. Their unwavering resolve became the heartbeat of this composition.

Inspired by Iannis Xenakis and microtonal writing, the work opens with each instrument of a string septet holding a distinct pitch, forming a dense seven-tone chord. Through the technique of string sliding, the ensemble transitions together—chord by chord—each shift evoking a new emotional phase. This continuous microtonal glide pulls the listener through a visceral narrative of Palestinian resilience: peace, pain, and rebirth.

The piece was first brought to life in the recording studio during a live conducting session with the septet, resulting in a three-minute composition that became the foundation of an audio-reactive generative video work by artist Yara Al Husaini. (on the next page)

To further develop the project, it was reimagined as a live performance—an opportunity to bring the story of resilience into a shared space. This next iteration debuted at the launch of Hazaz events, where the original three-minute recording was stretched into a 30-minute drone—subtly shifting, endlessly evolving, and deeply immersed in the microtonal transitions between chords. Each movement, millimetre by millimetre, reflected a meditative focus on emotional transformation.

Granular synthesis was employed throughout the performance to intensify the evolving drone. Field recordings from Beirut and Ramallah—collected personally and in collaboration with DJ and producer YA Z AN—were layered with care. These recordings—musicians in alleyways, voices in conversation, a grandfather’s stories, Leila Khaled’s speeches, poetic recitations, and testimonies from the Great March of Return—were altered to evoke pain, longing, and musical dream states. Together, they portrayed the emotional topography of Middle Eastern hearts.

Sampling played a central role in shaping the performance. Stems from songs by Gil Scott-Heron, Swans, David Lynch, Rabih Abou-Khalil, and Eskenderella were deconstructed and recomposed in real time. Drum patterns, melodic fragments, and basslines were drawn from each and fused into new soundscapes, crafted to embody resilience, empowerment, grief, and tenderness. Every sample was manipulated live—reverberated, stretched, or distorted—to align with my performer’s emotional state and amplify the story being told.

The result was a dream-like sonic journey—raw, immersive, and filled with emotional weight. Performed at the center of the room, surrounded by speakers and audience, the space itself became a vessel for collective listening and remembrance.