Labyrinth 26 * . Ensemble Playing in Modal Music

This workshop is open to instrumentalists of all backgrounds who wish to deepen their understanding of the rich world of modal music.

For this session, Ross Daly has assembled a diverse programme featuring music from the Ottoman, Iranian, Arab, and Greek traditions, complemented by a selection of his own compositions. The repertoire will be taught primarily by ear, with notation provided where useful. The focus is not only on learning the music itself, but also on understanding the musical principles that underlie it.

Together, we will explore questions such as:

• How do we approach modal traditions?
• How do we work with microtonality?
• How can we accompany melodies in a convincing and musical way?
• How can this music be arranged for different ensembles and instrumentations?
• How do we approach improvisation, including the art of taksim?

A unique opportunity to not only play and listen to modal music, but also to discover it as a living tradition that connects cultures, eras, and musical worlds.

Ross Daly travelled extensively throughout the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Indian subcontinent for many decades, immersing himself in a wide range of musical traditions. In 1982, he founded the Labyrinth Musical Workshop, an initiative that has been based in the Cretan village of Houdetsi since 2002.

Over the years, Labyrinth has grown into an international meeting place for musicians, students, and researchers. Through seminars, masterclasses, and residencies, the centre brings together leading musicians from diverse traditions and makes a significant contribution to the transmission and development of modal and traditional music.

As a composer and performer, Ross Daly has released more than thirty-five albums, featuring both original works and arrangements of traditional melodies collected during his travels. He also introduced the term Contemporary Modal Music, which refers to contemporary compositions rooted in modal traditions from a vast region stretching from West Africa to Western China.

Labyrinth Ghent is organised in collaboration with Labyrinth Crete, Codarts University of the Arts, and ArtConnects.