ZAID HILAL and the BEJE SOUND OF RESISTENCE ENSEMBLE

‘The song bird of Palestine’ Zaid Hilal sings of creative resistance to repeated colonisation in a wonderful array of carefully-researched songs and music that express the deep roots of Palestinian identity.

Zaid Hilal is an eloquent and compelling Palestinian singer and master of the ear-catching baglama. From Beit Sahour, he trained from age 10 with the Edward Said Music Conservatoire in Bethlehem, has a BA in Arabic singing, produces and records albums, tours nationally and internationally.

With over a million views of his youtube videos he packs venues in the Occupied West Bank and will fill yours too with his gentle powerful and hopeful musical message, with BEJE’s rocking-jazz take on the rich tradition of Palestine. BEJE is a Bristol-based world-jazz ensemble specialising in international collaborations.

The Zaid-BEJE link goes back to 2018 when the Arts and British Councils funded-show ‘Longing Belonging and Balfour’ came to Palestine and Israel, and the musicians all met up in the Beit Musika in Beit Sahour for a jam. A joint UK tour followed in 2019. Despite a pandemic-thwarted Edinburgh Fringe cancellation there was a triumphant UK tour with BEJE in 2024.