Sheherazaad

Sheherazaad plays the Music Room at the Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on Wednesday 20 January 2027, starting at 8:00 pm. The evening is presented by the Philharmonic in partnership with Milap, and the programme is built around her own work.

Sheherazaad is an American composer and theatre artist, and the sound she works with is a bit of a crossover: a cinematic blend of dystopic folk-noir and experimental pop, with South Asian musical sensibilities woven through it. It's a combination that puts her in a category of her own, and that's why she's gained a reputation as one of the most distinctive new voices in contemporary music. The 'folk-noir' side suggests something dark and atmospheric, while the 'experimental pop' brings in a more structured, melodic edge, and the South Asian influence gives the whole thing a specific melodic and rhythmic character.

Because she works as both a composer and a theatre artist, there's often a sense of storytelling to what she does, and the cinematic description fits that too — it's music that feels like it belongs to a scene or a story rather than just a song. The Music Room is a good fit for that kind of listening, and having the Philharmonic and Milap behind it brings together two organisations with very different strengths: one rooted in the classical and orchestral tradition, the other in South Asian arts.

It's a mid-week show, so if you're heading in from across the city, the Music Room is on Hope Street in the L1 9BP area. The concert starts at 8:00 pm on Wednesday 20 January, and the programme is Sheherazaad.