Mousiqa Bil Madina (Music in the City)

MzRizk

MzRizk is a Lebanese-Australian DJ, broadcaster, cultural curator and programmer. A boundary-pushing force in Melbourne’s music scene, MzRizk’s genre-blending style seamlessly weaves house, disco, hip-hop, jazz, soul and Arabic rhythms, curating sets that are electric and unpredictable. She’s rocked stages at Glastonbury, We Out Here, SOLE DXB, and underground spots from Beirut to New York, while dominating the line-up at homegrown festivals Strawberry Fields and Golden Plains.

As a local tastemaker, MzRizk hosts the long-running weekly Boogie Beat Suite radio program on PBS and in 2026 was appointed curator for the Brunswick Music Festival. Off the decks, she’s the visionary behind events like Habibi Hafla, Art Souk, and Golden Threads.

MzRizk’s immersive events bridge music, art, food, and community, creating inclusive spaces where culture thrives.

Beit Saleh

Beit Saleh is a creative duo dedicated to reviving the past through cultural expression and artistic experiences. They blend analog photography, tarab music, oud performances and community gatherings to bring timeless traditions into modern life, celebrating nostalgia through authentic experiences.

Abou Saleh is a Lebanese self-taught musician and music teacher, specialising in oud playing and singing. Driven by a deep love for tarab and traditional Arabic music, he found his identity and purpose through this everlasting art form. Abou Saleh is passionate about sharing the emotional depth of Arabic music with listeners, inspiring them to connect with its rich heritage. While he enjoys exploring different genres, his heart always returns to the captivating world of tarab.

Dukkana

Dukkana is a Coburg-based cultural pop-up founded by sisters Safa, Emina and Fatima El Samad in their father’s former Lebanese grocery store. Combining Safa’s embroidery practice and Emina’s Great Book Return archive, Dukkana creates a welcoming space for art, books, culture and community. They will run workshops, and have items for sale at their Musiqa Bil Medina pop-up!

Hawraa Kash

Hawraa Kash is a Lebanese Australian spoken word poet, writer and MC based in Naarm/ Melbourne. Demanding to be heard, Hawraa uses her poetry and writing to create her own platform and provide a safe space for others. Her writing encompasses her passion for embracing vulnerabilities. She ventures into the realms of advocacy for women of colour, intergenerational trauma, mental health, and the trials and intersections of diaspora and identity.

Kazaband

Kazaband is a Melbourne/ Naarm-based ensemble rooted in Arabic musical traditions while drawing on influences from jazz, funk and contemporary global music. Bringing together musicians from diverse musical backgrounds, the group explores the rich melodic and rhythmic language of Arabic music through improvisation, reinterpretation and collective collaboration.

Their sound centres around traditional Arabic forms and maqam-based melodies while incorporating modern arrangements, extended improvisations and dynamic ensemble interplay. Moving between classic repertoire, contemporary Arabic compositions and original interpretations, Kazaband reimagines well-known songs while introducing audiences to the depth and diversity of the region’s musical heritage.

Kazaband offers audiences a rich, contemporary perspective on Arabic music.

Laila Shouha

Laila is a performer and teacher of Raqs Sharqi based in Naarm/ Melbourne. Her performances are characterised by her joyful improvisations and sensitive interpretations of the music.

As a young child, she began performing and attending workshops alongside her mother. Her instinctive pull to the dance has also been influenced by her father’s Assyrian, Armenian and Syrian background, as well as her experiences watching Egyptian belly dance on VHS in her youth, and an exposure to the Sydney belly dance community in the 90s.

Sawa Music Band

Sawa Music Band is a Melbourne-based ensemble dedicated to reviving classic Arabic songs through detailed musicianship and contemporary arrangements. Drawing on the depth of traditional repertoire, the band reinterprets well-known songs with groove-driven arrangements, dynamic shifts and strong live delivery. Fronted by vocalist Georges El Mir, Sawa Music Band delivers powerful live performances that connect classic Arabic music with contemporary audiences.

Yallateef Dabke

Yallateef is a Melbourne/ Naarm-based Dabke dance collective dedicated to celebrating and sharing the rich cultural tradition of Levantine folk dance. Bringing together dancers from across the Arab diaspora, the group performs high-energy Dabke, rooted in communal rhythm, synchronised footwork and the joyful spirit of celebration that defines the dance.

Yallateef regularly appear at cultural events and concerts across Melbourne. In 2025, they performed a special Dabke showcase during Syrian singer Omar Souleyman’s Australian Tour at Northcote Theatre. Yallateef continues to keep Dabke alive in Naarm, creating moments of collective movement, celebration and cultural connection on and off the dancefloor.