By Malcolm Creese, Artistic Director: "I was very sad to hear of the untimely death, last month, of the Palestinian-born 'ud player, composer and teacher Adel Salameh. Adel visited Swaledale Festival twice, performing memorable sell-out concerts in Grinton and West Burton.
Born in 1966, Adel was amongst the world’s finest players of the ‘ud. His beautiful sound and his highly expressive playing were extremely moving. He performed at the most prestigious concert halls in Europe, as well as venues in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Africa. A highly active advocate for peace and reconciliation between people from different cultures, Adel believed that, as an artist, he should show the positive image of Arab culture through music and education. In an attempt to build bridges between cultures he embarked on numerous projects with diverse musicians from Africa, Spain, Israel, Turkey, Spain and India. In his words: "We should work together to make this world a better place to live in."
Whilst on stage in Grinton Church a few years ago, I introduced Adel to the Richmond-based lute virtuoso Jacob Heringman. The two struck up a close friendship and began touring together as a duo - giving concerts mainly in schools and universities. I spoke to Adel about playing at the Festival again - possibly in 2020, but alas we won’t have the pleasure. He’ll be deeply missed."