Asia+ Festival Presents "Canvas of Sound": A Unique Fusion of Middle Eastern Music and Improvisatory Calligraphy

Asia+ Festival's "Canvas of Sound" presents Middle Eastern music and improvisatory calligraphy for cross-disciplinary dialogue

The fourth Asia+ Festival will present the "Canvas of Sound" on October 23 and 24, a cross-disciplinary music performance in which Pakistani-born visual artist Tazeen Qayyum will join Syrian-born musicians Feras Charestan and Basel Rajoub to combine Middle Eastern music with live Arabic calligraphy, creating a stirring piece that refreshes the mind.

Charestan brings out the shimmering tones of the qanun, while Rajoub draws the resonant depth of the duclar. Together with percussion and saxophone, they weave a musical tapestry of Middle Eastern music. Qayyum's calligraphy fuses Arabic, Persian and Urdu scripts. Improvising in response to melodies, she lets sound and brushwork echo one another, bringing four themes - hope, kindness, justice and peace - to life on canvas. Each work is created spontaneously during the performance, making every canvas unique, and will be displayed the following day.

Curated by the Aga Khan Music Programme, the gallery edition of the "Canvas of Sound" premiered in 2024 at the National Museum of Qatar in Doha. Its stage edition has received an overwhelming response at the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival, and will be performed in Hong Kong as its Asian premiere.

The "Canvas of Sound" will be held at 8pm on October 23 and 24 at the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre Theatre. Tickets priced at $260 and $400 are available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288 or use the mobile ticketing app URBTIX. A meet-the-artist session will be held after both performances.

In addition, the programme features a range of fringe activities, including a display of canvases, a workshop and an outreach performance. For details, please refer to www.asiaplus.gov.hk/2026/en/canvas-of-sound.

Presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Asia+ Festival is held annually from September to November. Themed "Traditions Recast", this year's festival brings together over 30 countries and regions, and presents more than 100 performances and related activities, showcasing the artistic essence of Asia and countries and regions along the Belt and Road. For programme enquiries and ticketing concessions, please call 2370 1044 or visit www.asiaplus.gov.hk.

The music performance "Canvas of Sound", combining Middle Eastern music with live Arabic calligraphy, will be held on October 23 and 24 at the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre Theatre. Photo shows qanun musician Feras Charestan who will join the performance. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The music performance "Canvas of Sound", combining Middle Eastern music with live Arabic calligraphy, will be held on October 23 and 24 at the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre Theatre. Photo shows duclar musician Basel Rajoub who will join the performance. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The music performance "Canvas of Sound", combining Middle Eastern music with live Arabic calligraphy, will be held on October 23 and 24 at the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre Theatre. Photo shows visual artist Tazeen Qayyum who will join the performance. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The fourth Asia+ Festival will present the "Canvas of Sound" on October 23 and 24, a cross-disciplinary music performance in which visual artist Tazeen Qayyum will join two musicians, Feras Charestan and Basel Rajoub, to combine Middle Eastern music with live Arabic calligraphy, creating a stirring piece that refreshes the mind. Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected smuggled pharmaceutical products worth about $18 million

Hong Kong Customs today (October 13) detected a suspected smuggling case involving an outgoing lorry at the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Port and seized about 320 000 numbers of suspected pharmaceutical products with an estimated market value of about $18 million.

Based on risk assessment, Customs officers intercepted an outgoing lorry declared to contain supplements, skincare products and clothes, etc. at the above-mentioned Port. Upon inspection, the batch of suspected pharmaceutical products was found inside the cargo compartment.

After an investigation, Customs arrested a 39-year-old Mainland male driver suspected to be connected with the case. He was charged with one count of attempting to export unmanifested cargo and will appear at the West Kowloon Magistrates' Courts tomorrow (October 14).

Customs will continue to combat cross boundary smuggling activities with firm enforcement action based on risk assessment and intelligence analysis.

Smuggling is a serious offence. Under the Import and Export Ordinance, any person found guilty of importing or exporting unmanifested cargo is liable to a maximum fine of $2 million and imprisonment for seven years. Any person who exports pharmaceutical products and medicines without a valid export licence commits an offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for two years.

Members of the public may report any suspected smuggling activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Hong Kong Customs seizes suspected smuggled pharmaceutical products worth about $18 million Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases