Kamkars/Kudsi Erguner Ensemble

The Barbican in association with Iran Heritage Foundation

The Kamkars, Iran's leading music ensemble are a Kurdish 11-piece family of virtuosic singers and instrumentalists performing intricate and beautiful arrangements of traditional folk songs. They are returning to London for the first time in 5 years as part of the Barbican's annual Ramadan Nights festival.

A family of Kurdish Iranian musicians, the Kamkars are widely recognised as one of the leading musical ensembles in Iran today. The family - seven brothers, their sister and her son from Sena, were inspired to play by the father, Hassan Kamkar, a composer who founded the Sena Academy of Music in the Kurdish region of the country. The Kamkars' repertoire is richly diverse, drawing on the ancient history and long cultural traditions of the region and achieving a striking emotional and spiritual range. The group has held many concerts in the Kurdish cities of Iraq, and in 2001, for the first time in the history of Turkey, they performed Kurdish music concerts in the cities of Istanbul and Diarbekr, seen as a turning point in the musical events of the region.

Their UK tour in 2004, where the group performed with LSO has led to further symphonic collaborations. The group's latest CD, Tara, is about to be released in North Eastern Iraq for their audience of Iraqi Kurds.

'They deserve an audience that stretches far beyond Iran and the Kurdish diaspora.' The Guardian

27 September 2008
8 pm

£10 / 15 / 20 / 25

Group discount: 20% off all ticket prices for 10 or more tickets, phone bookings only (020 7638 8891) and subject to availability. Offer closes Wednesday 24 September.

+44 (845) 120 7533 or Online