Salam Music is an interdisciplinary music, art, and culture festival focused on the SWANA region (Southwest Asia and North Africa), which has been taking place at various venues in Vienna for over 20 years. The festival showcases different cultures and art forms through exciting and innovative artists. The main focus of the program is music, but the diverse spectrum also includes visual art, performance, and interdisciplinary participatory dialogue formats. Salam Music presents international and local artists who aim to engage and connect with people through their art, creatively highlighting global contexts and universal themes.
The music program features not only classical and traditional ensembles but also many contemporary styles, ranging from rock and post-punk to electronic music. Since 2017, international guests such as Ghalia Benali, Kiya Tabassian, Yasmine Hamdan, Emel Mathlouthi, Souad Massi, Aïta Mon Amour, Rasha Nahas, Alsarah & the Nubatones, Bab L’Bluz, Gaye Su Akyol, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Faiz Ali Faiz as well as local artists like the Orwa Saleh Ensemble, Kurdophone, Sofia Labropoulou Ensemble, Mahan Mirarab Ensemble, Golnar Shayar, Marwan Abado, Sakina Teyna – to name just a few – have been key ambassadors of the festival's vision. And many more extraordinary artists will continue to enrich the festival and inspire people in the future!
The Archive contains detailed program information from past years.
23. festival edition — 28.03.-06.04.2025
The 23rd edition of the Salam Music Festival will take place from March 28 to April 6, 2025, at various venues across Vienna. As in the past two years, Salam Music has once again invited a guest curator to co-design the music program – we are delighted to present an exciting music program with Vienna-based musician Omid Darvish This year, the musical focus shifts to the Horn of Africa.
Guest curator 2025: Omid Darvish
We are very excited to welcome Omid Darvish as the guest curator for the music program of Salam Music 2025! The Vienna-based singer, composer, and tanbur player is a regular presence both on stage and in the audience at Salam Music. It is a true pleasure for us to collaborate with Omid Darvish to create an exciting music program for the next festival edition.
His musical vision is deeply rooted in Iranian folk music, particularly Kurdish traditions. He combines these in innovative ways with contemporary genres such as jazz, electronic, and metal. Through his internationally successful musical projects HUUUM and Kurdophone he creates extraordinary new soundscapes from diverse musical worlds.
Festival history from 2002 to today
In 2002, the former director of the venue Szene Wien, Norbert Ehrlich, founded the Salam Orient Festival. The impetus for this was the events of 9/11. Norbert Ehrlich aimed to counteract the generalized opinions and prevailing image of the Arab world. This still remains a core mission of the festival to this day. Through its wide range of music, art, and culture, Salam Orient presents a nuanced perspective.
After 15 successful, intensive and beautiful years, Norbert Ehrlich handed over the festival in 2017: Katrin Pröll has taken over the directorship and together with Martina Laab, who serves as an advisor to the festival, has continuously developed the program's direction.
The diverse music program ranges from classical and traditional ensembles to bands in the rock, alternative and electronic genres. A new development in 2020 was an art section featuring visual arts curated by Christine Bruckbauer from the art space philomena+. Additionally, literature events and various dialogue formats such as artist talks, presentations, and workshops take place.
In 2023, a festival center was established for the first time, curated and organized by oud player Orwa Saleh . Also part of the core team is Regina Fisch from Tumulttotal, who has been responsible for communication and public relations since 2022. Since 2023, Stefan Wackerlig has been providing essential support to Salam Music in the areas of technical operations and production. Çağla Aydın and Vera Riesz have been indispensable as production assistants since the 2024 edition of the festival. Together, the dedicated team passionately creates a 10-day international festival celebrating music, art, and culture.
