Beyond Skin & Freemuse presents
Music & Movement of Displacement and Belonging
Belfast International Arts Festival
26th October. 7.30pm. The Duncairn. Belfast. TICKETS LINK
Musicians and dancers Daisy Electra (Ukraine), Taranom Pazhuhan (Afghanistan) and Persian pianist Ali Kazemi will be our guests flying in to headline a concert with a diversity of musicians defending artistic freedom to enable change. Director of Freemuse Sverre Pedersen will also be attending. Announced so far joining the line up are musicians Zarifa Asghari, Eva Kearney (aka Aqua Tofana),Nolan Donnell, Tyrell Black, Cesar Romero and Darryl (Daz) Forythe Biographies below. Performances will cross genres Classical, Folk, Latin, Avant-garde, Electronica.
Daisy Electra is a Ukrainian-born artist blending electronic modular synthesis, sensual vocals, and ambient cabaret piano into immersive performance rituals. Her work reclaims erotic power and movement, botanical memory, and mythic femininity — creating experiences that are both deeply emotional and visually arresting. With roots in experimental performance, vocal studies, and plant science, Daisy Electra transforms every show into a multisensory myth. Performing alongside her musical partner - Ali Kazemi, a Persian pianist, multi instrumentalist and composer, they builds hypnotic, narrative-driven sets layered with modular rhythms, haunting vocals, and electric plant symbolism.
Taranom Pazhuhan is a young Afghan woman dancer, and musician blending expressive movement with Persian and English vocals in emotionally charged performance. Her work is rooted in memory, resilience, and beauty — giving voice to the silenced and reclaiming space through sound and dance. She brings a new work shaped by the voices of Afghan women — a performance that moves between grief and power, pain and hope. Taranom was once an Oboe player in the Afghan Women's Orchestra before the fall of Kabul with the regime banning music & dance and enforcing gender apartheid. Taranom now lives in Finland enjoying her freedom as a woman and artist.
Zarifa Asghari is a songwriter from Afghanistan who with her family relocated to Northern Ireland. Currently in Afghanistan music is banned by the regime and women & girls have no rights. It wasn't until Zarifa found her freedom in Northern Ireland, she discovered her skills as a songwriter. In 2024 she started working with singer/songwriter Eva Kearney and along with guitarist Nolan Donnelly they recorded "Afghan Girl" 3 track EP at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios www.beyondskin.net/afghan-girl-at-real-world
Eva Kearney is a singer and songwriter from Lurgan who also performs under the name Aqua Tofana with her partner Nolan Donnelly a Belfast-based multi-instrumentalist & producer who started Zool Records. Eva's songbird voice complimented with Nolan's guitar and collaboration with Zarifa's lyrics is always a very powerful moving experience for any audience.
Tyrell’s gift of music is a force that must be experienced to be understood. Years of diligent instrumental practice combined with incredible intuitive musicality and a strong passion for world music make his musical offerings akin to a transformative experience for those who are open to receive it. While he would never call himself a sound healer - he is firmly a musician - his music, songs and chants tend to have healing imprints on the people experiencing them; often opening understandings and insights, inner visions, and a deeper sense of presence and stillness within the body.
Darryl (Daz) Forsythe over the past 20 years he has promoted and performed in nightclubs, concert halls and festivals across Northern and Southern Ireland.. Daz works as head of programmes for the Rio Ferdinand foundation in NI & Ireland and 5th Element Hip Hop Charity Northern Ireland. Daz is also part creator, owner and manager of Skank FM online radio station based in Belfast and Plan B electronic music events and fundraisers. DAZ has released various Hip Hop, R’N’B and Dub albums over the past 7 years independently and under small local record labels featuring with artist, vocalist & producers from the UK, Canada, USA, France & Jamaica.
Cesar Romero was born & raised in the small town of Chicago. Through the years, Cesar has been fortunate enough to perform in a variety of scenes through and around the city & States. From playing piano for Second City and/or long form musical improv to twiddling the guitar & banjo for Shrek the Musical National Tour. He feels deeply grateful for growing up in such a diverse jazz & gospel scene that is Chicago - absorbing as much as he could from various Churches, R&B / Pop & HipHop groups. In the Musical Theater world, Cesar has been part of such productions as RENT, Hairspray, Hamilton, Jersey Boys, In the Heights, West Side Story & Hair (just to name a few). Mr. Romero has also graciously shared the stage with such artists as Joan Osborne, Brian Culbertson & even opened up for Jay Leno in a private event.
Sverre Pedersen has been a film maker since 1985, mainly directing and producing documentaries. He was the president of Norwegian Film Makers Association from 2005 to 2020 and a member of the board of FERA, the Federation of European Screen Directors from 2015 to 2022. He worked as campaign and advocacy manager in Freemuse for 2 years from August 2019, and now he is the executive director of the organisation. He has been the head of production in Fuuse, Deeyah Khan’s production company and chair of the Freemuse Executive Committee.
Sverre has been an activist in human rights, solidarity work, anti-racism, environmental protection, and he has worked with refugees since his early teenage years.
He has produced a lot of music videos, short films, TV-drama, fiction films and animation films, but it is documentaries that is his passion, and he has produced more than 30 documentary films.
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Concert supported by private donations and Bernard Nevill Family Estate Fund.
