For a concert in Malmö in the spring of 2025, Pär Moberg had the idea of arranging a meeting between three prominent bowed string musicians in three different oriental traditions. He himself took on a supporting role with his baritone saxophone. The evening was a unique and magical mix of Turkish, Persian and Arabic music. The experiment turned out so well that the group wished to continue playing together. The name came naturally as kem is the word for bow in both Turkish, Persian and Arabic.
Nağme Yarkın from Istanbul plays the Turkish kemence as her main instrument and tours frequently in Turkey and abroad. She is an associate professor at Istanbul University State Conservatory, working in the fields of traditional Ottoman/Turkish music, composition and jazz music.
Hedda Heiskanen is perhaps best known to the Swedish audience as a tango violinist in Tangarte, or alternatively as a classical violinist. But she also has a long love affair with the Persian kamanche, and she brings a selection of her Persian repertoire to Kem Quartet. As well as her Swedish nyckelharpa!
Ghazwan Numan is primarily known to classical audiences as a classical viola player, but was raised in Baghdad with Arabic music and also masters it fully on his viola. A recurring guest wherever Arabic music is played in Malmö!
Pär Moberg, backing the trio with lyrical bass lines on his baritone saxophone, is a restless musical soul who has played everything from Swedish polskas to klezmer, Bulgarian, Arabic and Indian music.