Lamia Yared & Efren Lopez - From Minho To Euphrates (2025) [Official Digital Download 24/48]

Lamia Yared and Efrén López announce their new album From Minho to Euphrates - bridging eight centuries of sacred and secular traditions.

Lebanese-born singer and oud player Lamia Yared unveils her third album, From Minho to Euphrates, a profound musical journey that interlaces sacred and secular traditions from Iberia to Mesopotamia. Joined by acclaimed Spanish multi-instrumentalist Efrén López and a distinguished ensemble of international musicians, Yared breathes new life into ancient repertoires that span languages, religions, and centuries.

The album interweaves 4th-century Syriac hymns, 12th-century Cantigas de Santa Maria from the court of Alfonso X, Aleppine Muwashahāt, and a rare 13th-century composition by Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, one of the great theorists of Middle Eastern music. Through López’s innovative arrangements, the Iberian repertoire is reimagined with maqam-based microtonality, illuminating unexpected connections between medieval Iberian and Eastern Mediterranean traditions.

“This record is a dialogue across time,” says Yared. “It connects my Syriac-Maronite heritage with traditions that might seem distant but share a profound spiritual essence. We wanted to show how music from different worlds - Christian hymns, Sufi poetry, and medieval song - speak to each other in ways that still resonate today.”

Featuring Omran Adrah (qanun), Miriam Encinas Laffitte (gamba), Behnam Masoumi (tombak), and Tammam Ramadan (nay), the ensemble’s richly layered instrumentation balances historical interpretation with improvisational vitality. The result is a soundscape that is both historically grounded and strikingly contemporary.

From Minho to Euphrates follows Yared’s critically praised albums Chants des Trois Cours (2019), endorsed by Songlines Magazine, and Ottoman Splendours (Analekta, 2022). Her performances have graced venues such as the Aga Khan Museum (Toronto) and the Studio de Musique Ancienne de Montréal, and she has appeared at international festivals including the Festival du Monde Arabe, Festival Accès Asie, and Vancouver Island Festival, as well as stages across Europe, Turkey, and the Middle East.

Lamia’s musical path has been shaped by over sixteen years of immersion in Arabic, Syriac, Ottoman, and Persian traditions. She studied voice and oud with renowned masters including Ghada Shbeir, Khaled Al Hafez, Mustafa Said, Cigdem Yarkin, and Guzin Degismez, developing a deep understanding of their modal systems and performance practices.

Her academic training includes one year of jazz studies at Concordia University (Montreal) and four years at Antonine University (Lebanon), where she focused on Arabic music theory and interpretation under the guidance of Mustafa Said and other instructors. Because few institutions offer comprehensive programs in oral Arabic traditions, Lamia has largely pursued a path of private mentorship, learning directly from masters to refine her craft and deepen her interpretive artistry.

In addition to her performance career, Yared is committed to cultural preservation and exchange. She has led workshops with the Labyrinth Musical Workshop (Europe) and the Centre des Musiciens du Monde (Montreal), and her projects have received support from CALQ, CAM, and CAC.

With From Minho to Euphrates, Yared and her collaborators offer more than a historical exploration: they invite listeners into a shared human story told through the universal language of music.

Lamia Yared: Vocals
Efrén López: Oud, gittern, hurdy-gurdy, barbat, backing vocals, bendir
Omran Adrah: Qanun (2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15)
Tammam Alramadan: Nay (all except 10)
Miriam Encinas Laffitte: Viola da Gamba (2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 13)
Behnam Masoumi: Tombak, Bendir, Daf (1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15)

Tracklist:
01 Domyo Idto
02 Btoulto Mor Yacoub
03 Non é Mui Gran Maravilla
04 Mo Makikhat
05 Santa Maria Amar
06 Muwashah Al Rifqou Bi Maftoun
07 Muwashah Dhabi Wadi Al Naqa
08 Qadishat Aloho
09 Chqal Nourono
10 Por Nos De Dulta Tirar
11 Asbe Sangi
12 Anta Fil Husni Faridoun
13 Santa Maria, Strela Do Dia
14 Nesgue w Netyatar
15 En Bon Ponto


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