Ilyos Arabov Ensemble: Shash Maqom, art music tradition between Bukhara and Samarkand since 16th c.

On March 4, 2026, in the Sala degli Arazzi of the Giorgio Cini Foundation, the third concert conceived by the UKRI maqām beyond nation study group will take place. This event is a partnership between the University of London, SOAS, and the Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage.

The concert is dedicated to the tradition of art music known as shash maqom (“six maqoms”), which developed among the cultural centers of Bukhara, Samarkand, Khiva, and Andijan since the 16th century.

The ensemble, making its debut in Italy, is composed of:

Ilyos Arabov, voice, dutor lute
Vosidjon Mahmudov, ghijak fiddle
Farangiz Makhmudova, tanbur, rubob lutes
Nasimkhon Muzaffarov, frame drums (daf, doire), percussion
Dilorom Madrakhimova, dance