Praising the Beloved: An Evening with Mesut Kurtis

An evening of devotional music with internationally acclaimed artist Mesut Kurtis, presented as the flagship concert of The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts with the support of Yunus Emre Enstitüsü – London.

Known for his distinctive interpretation of Islamic devotional music, Kurtis brings together traditional forms with a contemporary musical sensibility, drawing on a repertoire that resonates across Türkiye, the Balkans and the wider Muslim world. His performances move between familiar devotional songs, ilahis and other vocal traditions rooted in different Muslim musical cultures, reflecting the shared spiritual and poetic heritage that connects these regions.

The programme will bring together works centred on love, praise and devotion, combining timeless poetry with both traditional and contemporary musical arrangements. Through a repertoire shaped by multiple languages, musical traditions and cultural geographies, the concert will explore how devotional music continues to create a shared space of remembrance, reflection and collective experience across communities.

With Kurtis’s internationally recognised voice at its centre, the evening will offer audiences an opportunity to encounter a rich and living tradition of devotional music in a programme that is at once rooted in heritage and open to contemporary expression.

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