The Arab Studies Chair, in collaboration with Qatar Foundation, aims to exchange knowledge and learning of Arab music and culture, in addition to building new bridges between diverse societies without forgetting the historical characteristics of each of them.
Arab–Iberian Musical Encounters: from historical sources to contemporary creation
Shared stories, living traditions
On October 15, 16, and 17, the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía will host the Chair of Arab Studies Conference, focusing on over 300 years of Segah history.
The conference will combine workshops, lectures, round tables, and a concert in the Escuela’s Sony Auditorium. The activities will be conducted in English with simultaneous translation and will be free to attend until full capacity is reached. Prior registration is required here:
Agenda
Thursday, October 15
7:00 PM - Opening Concert
“A 300-Year Journey with Segah”. Doha Ensemble for Classical Maqam
The concert proposes a journey through the maqam known today as Segah, covering from ancient to contemporary repertoires, and includes both Arab compositions and works from other cultures that became part of Islamic civilization, from the Iberian Peninsula to the borders of China.
More than 300 years of musical heritage brought together in this program thanks to extensive research and exploration of ancient manuscripts and sound recordings.
Friday, October 16
10:30 - Institutional welcome
Welcome and presentation of the main areas of work of the Chair of Arab Studies.
Speakers: representatives of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, Qatar Foundation and Qatar Music Academy
10:45 - Conference
“The muwashshah throughout history”
The muwashshah, from its origins as a literary-musical form in al-Andalus to becoming, over the centuries, a diverse and defined term encompassing literary and musical forms in the Arab world.
Speaker: Dr. Mustafa Said.
12:00 - Conference
“Iberian presence, maritime circulation and cultural memory in the Gulf”
A journey through Hormuz and the Persian Gulf during the Early Modern period, exploring the Portuguese and Iberian presence, the Iberian Union, maritime circulation networks, and the imperial dynamics that connected different territories and cultures.
Speaker: Dr Graça Almeida Borges, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa
12:50 PM - Round Table
“Historical memory, maritime circulation and cultural transmission”
The roundtable will expand on the themes raised in the keynote lecture and the academic presentation, linking them to the Chair’s broader intellectual objectives.
Moderator: Dr Maria Rijo
Participants: Dr Mustafa Said; Dr Graça Almeida Borges; Prof. Ana Ruiz Gutiérrez (University of Granada)
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM — Lunch break
3:00 PM - Lecture-concert
“Medieval Iberia, al-Ándalus, and the Cantigas”
A journey through the Cantigas de Santa María and medieval Iberian repertoires linked to al-Ándalus, exploring their sources, instruments, and processes of reconstruction and performance research.
Speaker: Eduardo Paniagua (specialist in Arabo-Andalusian music).
15:50 - Contemporary Creation
Presentation of the work in progress
Presentation of the collaboration process initiated in the June 2026 masterclasses, showing how the composer and soloist are developing a new work with a view to June 2027.
Speakers: Daniel Cristóbal (composer, student at Escuela Reina Sofía), Ibrahim Kadar (ney soloist, Qatar Music Academy)
4:45 PM - Round Table
“Sources, transmission, interpretation, and creation”
A reflection on the dialogue between historical sources, oral traditions, instruments, maqam, and medieval Iberian repertoires, and on how these elements can inspire new forms of contemporary interpretation and creation. The round table will connect these perspectives with current possibilities for artistic collaboration.
Moderator: Dr Maria Rijo
Participants: Eduardo Paniagua; Daniel Cristóbal; Ibrahim Kadar; Dr. Mustafa Said
5:30 PM - Closing, Call for Papers, and Presentation of the 2027 Theme
Call for Papers
Synthesis of the conference topics, public presentation of the 2027 Conference theme and launch of the Call for papers.
Speaker: representatives of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía, Qatar Foundation, and Qatar Music Academy
Saturday, October 17
09:30 - 14:00. Hands-on workshop with musicians from Qatar Music Academy and the Doha Ensemble for Classical Maqam
The interactive workshop by Doha Ensemble for Classical Maqam will explore some of the musical traditions of the Arabic maqam through practical engagement with oud, qanun, nai, percussion (daf and riqq), and Arabic violin (kaman).
Participants will be introduced to the practice of improvisation (taqsim) through tahmilah bayati, within an ensemble setting (takht). Participants will also perform the muwashshah Jalla Man Qad Sawwarak, maqam Bayati husayni and iqaa dawr hindi.
Participants are advised to listen to the audio files in advance, as they will learn the music through listening and imitation (oral instruction), without using sheet music.
The workshop will conclude with a shared ensemble performance that brings together the materials explored during the session, in an informal and collaborative musical setting.
Download the workshop materials here. The workshops will be conducted in English.
Free admission to all activities upon registration here:
Admission requirements for the Bachelor's Degree in Higher Artistic Music Education
To access Bachelor’s degree studies in higher artistic education, it will be necessary to accredit one of the following requirements (Law 1/2024, of June 7):
- Bachelor’s Degree.*
- Degree in higher artistic education.
- University degree or Higher Technical degree.
- A degree declared equivalent or homologated to said degrees
- Having passed the university entrance exam for people over 25 years of age.
* In the case of students who have obtained the Bachelor’s degree abroad, they must validate it in el Ministry of Education or in the Education Councils of the Spanish Embassies abroad.
Recognition of studies
Foreign students who want to pursue official Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees must validate their previous studies. For more information, you can consult the sections of the Ministry of Education relating to the Recognition of non-university studies (Bachillerato) and to the Recognition of degrees from foreign education systems.
The validation process must be initiated in person and must be submitted before September 1.
The documents required for the validation of Bachelor’s degrees and diplomas are the following:
- Verified copy of the identity document. It will not be necessary to provide a copy of the DNI/NIE if you authorize its consultation.
- In case of acting through a representative, authorization to act on your behalf and a verified copy of your identity document.
- Verified copy of the official foreign degree or diploma or of the official certification accrediting the passing of the corresponding final exams.
- Verified copy of the certification accrediting the courses taken, stating the subjects taken, the grades obtained and the academic years in which the respective courses were taken.
IMPORTANT: The documents must be official and, where appropriate, duly legalized and accompanied by an official translation into Spanish. Verified copies are made at the time of submitting the application and/or documentation in any registry of a Spanish administration, presenting the original (which is returned once the document has been scanned). The verified copy must be made once the originals have been legalized
Regulations
Order 2369/2011, of June 10, which regulates, for the Community of Madrid, the specific test for access to Higher Artistic Education Degrees regulated by Organic Law 2/2006, of May 3, on Education.
Authorization of Educational Center
Instructions from the General Directorate of Artistic Education by which the organization and operation of the 2024-2025 academic year in higher art education centers in the Community of Madrid is regulated