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'Classical' music and food, is commonly taken to mean the highest form  - across style and content, teaching, hierarchy and even notions of good taste. Yet why does classical gastronomy commonly mean a five star French kitchen, and not a barbacoa joint in Mexico? Why does classical music mean a symphony performed in a concert hall, and not the polyrhythms of Sub-Saharan African drumming? Should 'classical' be synonymous with refinement and sophistication, while that which falls outside be coded as folkloric, primitive or even disruptive. 

Can the way we listen to music or taste food move beyond Western classical precepts of what is good or correct? Can we embrace alternate musical tuning systems or recipe systemisation, or place as much value on rhythm or texture as we do on melody and flavour? 

In this event, featuring Palestinian oud player Saied Silbak and Australian Filipino chef Budgie Montoya, hosted by British Chinese writer Jenny Lau, you will be inspired to rethink how you listen to music and taste food from the other side of the 'classical' spectrum. 

Included in Food Season Big Weekend Sunday or Weekend tickets, or available to book as a single session. Discounts available for over 60s and BL Members and half-price tickets for students and under 26s  

Jenny Lau is a writer and community organiser. She founded Celestial Peach as a platform to tell and connect stories about the Chinese diaspora, and has since built a grassroots East and South East Asian community through her food events and multidisciplinary projects. In 2022, she was listed as one of Code Hospitality’s 100 Most Influential Women in Hospitality and was nominated for People’s Choice Person of the Year at the Be Inclusive Hospitality Spotlight Awards. Her chapter on ‘The Community Centre’ was published in the food anthology London Feeds Itself (Open City). Her debut non-fiction book An A-Z Of Chinese Food (Recipes Not Included) comes out in January 2025. 

Born in the Philippines and raised in Australia, Ferdinand ‘Budgie’ Montoya moved to London in 2012 to begin his cooking career, working his way through some of London's top kitchens. Over the last 5 years, Budgie has been championing Filipino cuisine in London and the UK, setting up his acclaimed pop up restaurant Sarap and recently opening his street food concept, Apoy Filipino BBQ in Market Halls on Oxford Street. Budgie recently appeared on season 18 of BBC’s Great British Menu, representing London and the Southeast region where he wowed veteran Michelin starred chef Tommy Banks and host Andi Oliver with his unique cooking style showcasing his Filipino heritage. 

Saied Silbak is a Palestinian composer and oud player born in Shafaa`mr, a city located in the lower Galilee of occupied Palestine. He began training in classical piano at the age of four, before moving onto the oud in his early teens in order to delve deep into the nuances at the base of Arabic music. Silbak went on to train at the Beit Almusica Conservatoire where he later taught, before studying Music and Psychology at the university of Haifa and then completing his Masters at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he is currently based. He has a unique understanding of different types of music, from Arabic, Turkish and Indian to classical Western styles. Silbak’s signature sound, created through his artful ability to fuse these styles together, has seen him perform around the world at festivals and concert series in the UK, Belgium, France, Palestine, Morocco, Argentina and beyond.

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