Al Firdaus Ensemble

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On February 11th, 2023, Al Firdaus Ensemble performed at the Claremont Colleges. It was founded in 2012 by the English violinist and singer Ali Keeler, and is based in Granada, Spain. The group takes its inspiration from the word Firdaus, which is the Arabic name (of Persian origin) for the most elevated abode in Paradise.

The group is made from musicians from different countries and cultural backgrounds, brought together with one purpose – to tune their hearts to receive the inspiration of the moment and transmit that to the audience. The traditional Arabic term for this kind of music is sama` which could be translated as “the art of listening.”

The unique sound of their music is due to a synthesis of different musical styles. These include original compositions of a more Western classical character with influences from both Celtic and Flamenco traditions, and new arrangements of songs drawn from the rich heritage of traditional sufi music from Arabic, Andalusi and Turkish sources. The words of the songs are mainly in Arabic drawn from the poetry of the great sufis from Al Andalus and the Arab world such as Ibn Arabi and Al Shushtari. Also within their repertoire are musical adaptations of poems in aljamiado (old Spanish written by the Moriscos using the Arabic script). They use a combination of Arabic and Western classical instruments in addition to the flamenco guitar, and have a range of singers, some of whom are soloists and others who sing in the choruses. They have performed in concerts and international festivals throughout Europe, Bosnia, the U.S., Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, Lebanon, and Malaysia.