Scottish/Egyptian instrumentalists and composers, The Ayoub Sisters rose to stardom after their debut album premiered at No.1 in the Official Classical Charts. The sisters are recognised internationally for their chemistry on stage, as well as their ability to unite different musical genres and cultures together through their unique compositional style. 

Recipients of the Arab Women of the Year award (2019), The Ayoub Sisters are proud to present their brand new album Arabesque – a celebration of and tribute to music from the Arab World, which shot to No.1 in the iTunes Classical Albums Chart. 

They have performed across the UK, Europe, Middle East and Asia with highlights including appearances at the Royal Albert Hall, London Palladium, The Cairo Opera House and Dubai Opera.

With an international YouTube following of over 100k subscribers, The Ayoub Sisters are fast becoming the sound and faces of a truly exciting new generation of classical and crossover artists. 

Join award winning instrumental duo The Ayoub Sisters for an evening of live music including songs from their brand new album, Arabesque. The Ayoub Sisters will be joined on stage by renowned Jazz musicians: guitarist Giulio Romano Malaisi and percussionist Daniele Antenucci. 

You can purchase tickets to their upcoming concerts here.

Ahead of their concert series in the UK, we interviewed The Ayoub Sisters:

You’re able to merge so many different styles of music into your compositions including classical European, popular Arabic, Hispanic – to name just a few! But which do you find the most fun to unite?

That’s a really tricky question! The main thrill for us is actually the process of translating and uniting these different musical styles or genres on our classical instruments and potentially combining two very different sound worlds or cultures together.  Seeing and hearing the process come together and finding a new creation is the most fun element.

You’ve performed in so many major institutions across the world, which has been your favourite and why?

It’s difficult to choose a standout performance venue because each of them have been memorable to us for different reasons. One that is particularly close to our hearts has for to be the Cairo Opera House. We were taken there as children to attend performances and now when we go to perform, the warmth and love we feel from the Egyptian people is incredibly special. We count ourselves extremely lucky to have that support from our home away from home.

When creating a new piece, where do you seek inspiration from?

When creating a new piece, the inspiration really comes from anywhere and everywhere. On our most recent album Arabesque, we drew inspiration from our Scottish/Egyptian heritage as well as a memorable experience chasing after a train at Ramses station in Cairo! We are both very visual people so scenes from movies, landscapes and visual media can be a great starting point for us when coming up with a melody or groove. We are also lucky to have each other to bounce ideas off of – the best test is if the idea is accepted by both of us, then we truly know we are on to something.

Have your family and friends been supportive of your musical journeys from the beginning?

It’s no secret that there are a few stereotypes attached to Middle Eastern families, including the pressures of following a “respectable career path”. It’s fair to say that we were very lucky that our parents encouraged our musical journey from the start (not to be taken for granted). Sure, our father would have loved to have another doctor in the family – something he didn’t shy away from mentioning once or twice… But when we finally decided that music was going to be our path, we were very blessed to have the unconditional support of both our parents.

Your main instruments are cello and violin, but how many can you actually play?

We both actually started on the piano at the ages of 4 and 7. It was a wonderful basis for us and an instrument we both still play. Our love and curiosity for music remains strong so our family home is filled with literally hundreds of instruments – but we try and stay focused on violin, cello and piano.

What can the audience expect from your performances in April?

Audiences can expect a fun, energetic and celebratory evening of live music. We will be joined on stage by world renowned jazz musicians: guitarist, Giulio Romano Malaisi and percussionist, Daniele Antenucci. We will be performing a selection of Arabic music from our new album as well as some favourites we have released over the years using state of the art live looping technology – it will truly be a cultural exchange!