Constantinople and Kiya Tabassian

“(…) a rare delight: music unlike anything heard before.” – Le Monde
The estuary, a place where freshwater meets saltwater, evokes passage, renewal, and fertility. It is a space of transition and transformation, where unexpected possibilities emerge—just like the musical encounters imagined by Constantinople.
Kiya Tabassian and Ablaye Cissoko, both eternal musical explorers who build bridges between cultures and eras, have been working and collaborating together for over a decade and have traveled through imaginary worlds stretching between Persia and the Mandinka kingdoms.

With Estuary, they bring together the currents of their musical memories and offer stories inspired by figures of profound nobility and humanity, reimagined through a universal language.

Just like their voices, the strings of their setar and kora respond to and intertwine with each other, while the outstanding percussionist Patrick Graham supports and colours this sonic alcove, where the listener—privileged witness to this encounter—is invited to enter.