Makam Salam are proud to be featured at the EFG London Jazz Festival, featuring three incredible special guests: Mira Awad, Olcay Bayir and the Jerusalem Youth Chorus Alumni Collective, bringing young Palestinian and Jewish Israeli singers from Jerusalem together on their special international tour.

Makam Salam is a London-based collective of Pan-Middle-Eastern diaspora musicians. The band brings together Palestinian, Israeli, Iranian, Lebanese, Turkish, Kurdish, Tunisian, Moroccan, British and Jewish Diaspora musicians, building bridges across cultures and playing for peace and collective liberation. Maqam modes meet jazz improvisation. Arabic, Hebrew, Turkish and Kurdish songs sit next to each other, carried on oud, clarinet, violin, keys, drums and percussion.

This special night features Mira Awad, a Palestinian-Israeli singer, songwriter and actor, born in the Galilee village of Rameh. In 2009 she represented Israel at Eurovision alongside Achinoam Nini. It was the first Israeli entry with Arabic lyrics, and the first sung by an artist of Arab origin. Awad has performed with Bobby McFerrin, Andrea Bocelli and Quincy Jones, and appeared at Sanremo in 2025. The New York Times called her voice "intensely seductive... drawn into its mysterious spell."

Also joining the bill is Olcay Bayır, a London-based Kurdish Alevi singer-songwriter, born in Gaziantep in south-east Türkiye into a family of âşkık, the wandering minstrel poets. Trained in opera in London, she brings that voice to the songs of Anatolia, singing in Kurdish, Turkish, Armenian and Greek. Her debut album Neva was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Songlines Music Awards, she has played WOMAD and a live session on BBC 6 Music, and The Guardian called her "one of the finest, most intriguing singers on the British world music scene."

For the first time, Makam Salam will be joining forces with the Jerusalem Youth Chorus Alumni Collective, a shared choir of Palestinian and Jewish Israeli singers from Jerusalem. Their alumni collective, called "A Different Way," will be part of the show. Together, Makam Salam and A Different Way bring the audience into the music itself. Expect interactive song making, live participation, and real dialogue through music.

Since forming in 2024, Makam Salam have sold out Stone Nest, PizzaExpress Jazz Club, Next Door Records and The Cockpit. They've also played Shambala and Soul Revolution festivals this year. Their February 2026 Jazz In The Round show sold out the venue and they are proud to return this November, as part of EFG London Jazz Festival.

The round is the format this music was built for. Audience on every side, the band facing inward, where the audience will be invited to be an active part of the show.

All money raised from this show goes straight back into our not-for-profit work. We're building music and peace together, on stage and beyond it. It also helps fund what's next: our debut album recording, and touring costs for the Jerusalem Youth Chorus Alumni Collective. Choose the donor ticket if you want to help us keep these projects going.

“The audience, myself included, was deeply moved; we laughed and cried together… for a moment, we felt hope.” — Inna Schorr, Stone Nest

“Makam Salam’s sold-out concerts offer signs of hope and resilience at a time when many are succumbing to despair.” — Haaretz

“What an impeccable execution of a profound, powerful and light-filled vision. I’m in awe.” — Moncaya, musician

All GA tickets (incl booking fees):
Earlybird: £25.72 (before 19 Oct)
Supporter: £42.20
Standard: £31.90
Students/MU members: £19.54

Please note: ALL ticket prices are for general admission, with all seats unreserved and first-come-first-served.

As always, carers go free, call the box office to book: 020 7258 2925
​All acts are subject to contract and may sometimes change.