Saturday, 29th October, 2011
8.30pm San Salvador Church, Venice
A meeting of two of the finest musicians of their day: Monteverdi and Byrd
Sat 17th July 2010
7.30pm, St. Andrew's Stapleford
Tanzanian national sensation, Upendo join Ishirini for a thrilling fusion of African & English choral music that will have you singing and dancing in the aisles.
Sat 10th April 2010
7.30 St. Mary's Church,
Netherbury, Dorset
Join Ishirini for a musical journey across centuries and cultures, from the serenity of Allegri’s Miserere to Howells’ stunning response to the death of JFK Take Him Earth for Cherishing.
20th of September, 2009
2pm Queens' College Chapel,
Cambridge
An innovative exploration of English music reflected in its contrasting European context
2nd of February 2009
2pm, Queens' College Chapel
Cambridge
Ishirini and special guests Furaha sing the best of African and British choral traditions
Sun 1st May 2011
3.30 Great Hall, Dartington, Devon
Opening the Tagore Festival, a celebration of his work through European choral music
April 1st to 11th 2011
Kolkata and Kalimpong
Workshops and concerts in Union Chapel, Mathieson Music School, St. Paul's Cathedral, Indo-Tibetan Cultural Institute, Dr. Graham's Homes. Repertoire inspired by the Bengali Nobel laureate and polymath Rabindranath Tagore
Sun 27th February 2011
3pm St Mary's, Alverstoke
Gosport, Hampshire
The launch concert for our tour of India featuring the choristers of St. Mary's church in a fusion of European and Indian cultural traditions
Ishirini is an innovative choir, renowned for its international collaborations and varied repertoire, always tailored to time and place. In tours to Bulgaria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nepal, India and Tanzania, as well as in concerts in the UK & Europe, Ishirini has been highly acclaimed for the quality of its singing and the variety of its repertoire. We'd be delighted to hear from you if you have an event you would like us to take part in: please contact us.
Ishirini, Swahili for twenty, is a chamber choir which explores and celebrates choral traditions from around the world. Rooted in the Cambridge choral tradition, Ishirini has developed a range of innovative and collaborative projects. In each of our performances we have carefully researched thematic programmes which explore various aspects of place and tradition.
We have been singing for over 15 years, the brain-child of Naomi Rouse and our founding director, Jeremy Rouse. In our tours to Tanzania and India, as well as a reciprocal tour of the UK from Tanzanian national stars Upendo, we conducted workshops with local schools and collaborated with local musicians to perform new compositions exploring the fusion of our respective traditions. In Poland we held joint concerts with our partner choir, Stryzowski Chor, and in Jordan we joined the festival Aswatuna: Arab Sing, where choirs from Jordan, Syria and the UAE performed together in beautiful locations across the country. In August 2013 we performed as part of the Palestinian Choral Festival singing with our partner choirs in Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Ramalla and in August 2014 we sang concerts as part of the Música en las Montañas festival in la Alpujarra, Andalucia. In 2016 we toured Nepal, linking up with the Music Department of Kathmandu University and singing in temples, schools and hospitals. In 2017 we visited Georgia, where we collaborated with local musicians and in 2018 we visited Florence, singing in churches and museums. In 2019 we visited Addis Ababa, Lalibela and Gonda in Ethiopia, with a sell-out concert with local choirs in City Hall, Addis Ababa, as well as other concerts and workshops in churches, schools and restaurants across the country. We had a hiatus due to the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021, but in 2022 we returned, rather closer to home - we visited Scotland, singing in churches and abbeys in Glasgow, Oban and Iona under our new director, Peter Allwood. In 2023 we visited Portugal, singing in churches in Lisbon and Porto over Easter. In 2024 we were in Egypt, singing in churches, concert halls and a recording studio in and around Cairo. In 2025 we were in Izmir in Türkiye, and in 2026 we were in Bulgaria.
Future plans include tours to Morocco, Hungary, Greece and Armenia. We are delighted to receive regular invitations to perform at corporate events, weddings and other projects: if you would like to book us, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
