Maya Youssef
Home Songs
In a special concert for Kings Place, acclaimed qanun player and composer Maya Youssef offers a different perspective on country of origin Syria; one shaped by artistry, resilience, and cultural richness. Maya performs repertoire from her albums ‘Finding Home’ and ‘Syrian Dreams: A Prayer For Peace’ with her quartet in presenting Home Songs: a journey through loss, beauty, and belonging.
Viewed from London, Syria is often seen through the lens of conflict, politics, and displacement. In this special concert for Kings Place, acclaimed Syrian-British qanun player and composer Maya Youssef offers a different perspective: one shaped by artistry, resilience, and cultural richness.
Joined by Ben Smith (piano), Simon Roth (percussion), and vocalist Hamsa Mounif, Maya creates an intimate and deeply affecting musical experience. Drawing on music from her albums Syrian Dreams and Finding Home, alongside Syrian folk classics, she also presents for the first time in London excerpts from a new body of work exploring resonances between Syrian traditions and folk music from across the British Isles. Through stories of remembrance, migration, and identity, the programme traces a path from longing to renewal, revealing unexpected threads between cultures and generations.
Concessions & Under 30s tickets
Kings Place Concessions Tickets
We want to ensure that people who may be struggling financially to purchase a ticket can still enjoy visiting Kings Place. A limited number of tickets are allocated for certain events (if the ticket type does not show in the booking pathway, it means they are not available for this event or have all been sold). Concessions tickets are accessible for people on the following criteria (for more information visit our FAQs)
- Pension Credit
- Universal Credit
- Disability Benefit
- Income Support or Job Seekers allowance
- Students
£10 ‘Under 30s’ tickets
A limited number of £10 tickets are available for certain shows to attendees aged under 30. To access Under 30s tickets, your account needs to be updated with your Date of Birth. Please visit the account centre to add your Date of Birth and go to ‘Other Preferences’ to opt in to the Under 30s Scheme.
If £10 tickets are available, the ticket discount will apply automatically at checkout. If the discount does not apply, this means all ‘Under 30s’ tickets have sold out for the performance.
Please note that proof of age may be requested at the venue.
Plan your visit
Getting here
Kings Place is situated just a few minutes’ walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, one of the most connected locations in London and now the biggest transport hub in Europe.
Our address is:
90 York Way, London, N1 9AG.
The Venue
Our performance spaces are situated on the lower ground floor. Hall One, Hall Two and St Pancras are located in level -2, reached by stairs, escalator and lift from the ground floor entrance level.
Event Times
Door times indicate auditorium entrance times only. Visitors are welcome to enjoy the Kings Place seating areas, gallery-level art, canal-side terrace, café, restaurant and bar throughout the day and evening.
- Our events begin promptly at the advertised start time. Typically, there is no support unless otherwise stated.
- We recommend arriving in good time before the performance. The Hall doors will open 30 minutes before the performance to allow time to take your seats, or to choose a space for standing shows.
- Latecomers will be admitted at a suitable break in the performance where possible
Access
We aim to make your visit to Kings Place as comfortable as possible. For more information about the accessibility of Kings Place, including details about our Access Scheme, please visit this page.
If you would like to discuss your access requirements with a member of our team, please get in touch with the Box Office team at info@kingsplace.co.uk.
Food & Drink
Rotunda Bar & Restaurant
Rotunda, situated on the ground floor of Kings Place, offers a unique dining and drinking experience alongside Regent’s Canal. The concert bar in the venue foyer will also be open for select events.
Green & Fortune Café
Recently re-furbished and now open with a new look, the Green & Fortune Café is open for selected concerts. Serving hot and cold food and drinks, including sandwiches, salads, soup, stew and a pie of the day, alongside a choice of cakes made by the on-site bakery team. See here for selected concert dates and standard opening hours.
Maya Youssef
Hailed as ‘queen of the qanun’, Maya Youssef is a globally renowned, award-winning qanun player and composer from Syria who is now based in London. Born in Damascus, because of the war in her home country Maya arrived in the UK in 2012, one of the very first artists to be invited under the UK Government’s Global Talent visa scheme, endorsed by Arts Council England as an Exceptional Talent; in November 2023 she became a British citizen. Since then, Maya has pushed the boundaries of the qanun (a 78 stringed plucked zither traditionally played by men) and has performed at the South Bank, BBC Proms, Royal Albert Hall, The Barbican, Shakespeare’s Globe and WOMAD Festival.
Ben Smith
Ben Smith is a London-based pianist and composer. Alongside his regular work with Maya Youssef he specialises in contemporary and experimental music. Described as one of ‘the finest new-music pianists in London’ (Tempo) and praised for his ‘extraordinary precision and insight’ (The Guardian), he is sought after as both a soloist and chamber musician, performing with ensembles such as An Assembly, Apartment House, Athelas Sinfonietta, Explore Ensemble, London Sinfonietta, Riot Ensemble, and Uproar Ensemble.
Simon Roth
Simon Roth is a drummer, percussionist and multi-instrumentalist and producer working across contemporary and klezmer music. Raised in a musical family on the edges of London, between forest, motorway, and the Metropolitan line, his listening ranged from big band jazz and free improvisation to classical music, klezmer, 1960s pop, and a much-loved A-Team cassette.
Hamsa Mounif
Hamsa Mounif is a highly accomplished Syrian singer now based in London. She studied at the Higher Institute of Music in Damascus, and performed with the National Orchestra of Syria, Najah Slam, the Orchestra of Nazer Mouass, before relocating to the UK. Alongside her work with Maya, she is the principal female vocalist with the London Syrian Ensemble and the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, with whom she has toured extensively throughout Europe, including as part of Damon Albarn’s Africa Express project.