Samer Rashed & Surge: Tales of the Gypsy Jazz

Following on from their sold out show at Centrala in 2019, acclaimed Palestinian viola player and composer Samer Rashed returned to Birmingham in June 2022 with his band to perform ‘Tales of the Gypsy Jazz’. This is his second album that follows his unique path of putting the viola at the centre of his work.

For this special event in Midlands Arts Centre’s Outdoor Theatre, Samer and his band were joined by musicians from Surge Orchestra, re-imagining his music with some of Birmingham's finest players including Alex Polack, Katie Stevens, Ruth Angell and Xhosa Cole.

This event was presented by Surge Forward Music and Arts in partnership with Celebrating Sanctuary Birmingham as part of Refugee Week 2022 and supported by Arts Council England.

Photos: Johnathan Williams