| Biography | Maya Youssef is a Syrian musician and composer based in the United Kingdom who plays the qanun. She has performed on the BBC Proms and WOMAD.
At the age of 12, Youssef won the Best Musician Award in Syria's National Music Competition for Youth. She attended the High Institute of Music and Dramatic Arts in Damascus, studying for a Bachelor of Arts degree in music (where she specialized in studying the qanun); at the same time she worked towards obtaining a B.A. in English literature at the University of Damascus. Youssef was a founder member of the Syrian Female Oriental Band (SFOG) in 2003. She completed her degree in music in 2007 after studying with the Syrian composer and qanun player Salim Sarwa and Azerbaijani musician Elmira Akhundova. She was also given master classes by the Turkish qanun player Göksel Baktagir. |