WOMAD 2010 ARTIST LINE-UP  1814 • Amal Murkus • Anna Coddington • Babylon Circus • The Bellbirds • Blue King Brown • Calexico • De Stijle, Want... • Dub Colossus • Eddi Reader • Eliades Ochoa • Ethiopiques • Gochag Askarov • Gyuto Monks • House of Shem • Hypnotic Brass Ensemble • Iva Lamkum • Kamel el Haraachi • LA Mitchell • Ladi 6 • Lepisto & Lehti • Mairtin O'Connor Trio • Mariem Hassan • Nickodemus • Nortec Collective presents: Bostich & Fussible • NZTrio • Ojos de Brujo • Pacific Curls • Ross Daly & Ensemble • Skatalites • Te Whanau-a-Apanui

Amal Murkus (Palestine/Israel) Pioneering a fiery post-modern style of Mediterranean music, singer/composer Amal Murkus melds pop elements with Palestinian folklore and traditional Arabic heritage, railing against the marginalisation of Arab Palestinian culture. Born and raised in the Arab town of Kafr Yasif in the Galilee region, Amal has devoted her career to promoting Palestinian music and culture, happily smashing stereotypes in her homeland along the way. Boasting one of the most beautiful voices in the Middle East, Amal’s three solo albums – Amal, released in 1998, Shauq in 2004 and Na’na’ ya Na’na’ in 2008 – have been acclaimed for weaving Palestinian poetry with western instrumentation. Not surprisingly, the force of her emotion tips over into her live performances, which have been described by critics as mesmerising. Website: www.myspace.com/amalmurkus