AMAL DUO Sounds of Yearning
Through discovering each other's musical languages, AmalDuo explores sound worlds from Southwest France end East Balkans to North Afrika and the Middle East. In this tapestry of storytelling traditions, they intertwine their voices with shruti box, guitar, and percussion instruments (darbouka, riq).
Derived from the three Arabic letters – alif, meem, and lam – amal (English: /əˈmɑːl/; Arabic: أمل) is a verb that signifies hope, whether we project it onto something, desire it, or expect for its manifestation
Bringing "Sounds of yearning" to life, Amal Duo takes their audience on a journey around the Mediterranean, from Occitania to the Balkans, through Tunisia and Palestine.
Songs they bring tell stories of deep and hidden intimacies, unraveling the nuances of yearning through blurred lines between love and loss.
As a recently formed band (2024), Amal Duo has performed in Helsinki, in Folk Marathon Festival in Vienna (Austria), as well as in Tunisia, where they started recording their debut EP. Following the sensibility of their repertoire, they seek for their audiences in spaces of solace, sweet sanctuaries where eyes are called to rest and tales of longing take their shapes in the corners of imagination.
Sami is a reformed scientist who used to study the physics of musical instruments. He is now pursuing a Bachelor in Global Music at the Sibelius Academy of Music, mostly working with percussion, voice, and guitar.
Mia is a former classical pianist who is about to graduate as Master of Ethnomusicology. She has been an exchange student in Global Music Program in 2024 and 2025. Instruments of both her research and performance practice are nowadays voice and community.
Photocredits: Mia Mihaljević