Firdaus Ensemble
Group formation: Quarteto
· Ali Keeler: Voice and violin
· Yusuf Mezghildi: Qanun, Lute and chorus voice
· Salma Vives: Cello
· Omar Benlamlih: Percussion (bendir y darbuka) and voice.
[email protected]
+34 663 522 419
The group takes its inspiration from al-Firdaus, the Arabic name for the most elevated
place in Paradise.
The word Paradise is derived from faradis, the plural form of firdaus, which is originally a
Persian word.
The intercultural nature of this name reflects the character of the group in which musicians from different countries and cultural backgrounds are brought together with one
purpose.
Their aspiration is to express through music the memory of the heavenly world we come
from and to which we long to return.
Just as the musicians tune their instruments, they need to tune their hearts to receive the
inspiration of the moment and bring themselves and their audience into a state of spiritual
contemplation. Sama´, the traditional Arabic word for this kind of music, could be translated as the art of listening, which is the doorway to contemplation for both artists and audience alike.
Al-Firdaus Ensemble, based in Granada, was founded in 2012 by the violinist and singer, Ali
Keeler, and includes musicians from England, Spain and Morocco.
The unique sound of their music is due to a synthesis of different musical styles. These
include original compositions with influences from Western classical, Celtic and Flamenco
traditions as well as arrangements of songs drawn from the rich heritage of 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 of
al-Andalus and the Arab world, such as Ibn Arabi and al-Shushtari. Also within their repertory are musical adaptations of poems in aljamiado, the Spanish language written by the
Moriscos in the sixteenth century using the Arabic script.
The group usually performs as a quartet or quintet, but is versatile and can perform as a
trio or in larger formations, depending on the situation. 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.
They also perform in a choral formation accompanied only by drums.
Apart from performing in numerous concerts throughout Spain, they have participated in
several international festivals.
In this concert was born Firdaus current training Ensemble. Cultural Center Atarfe Medina
Elvira (Granada)
Alhambra de Granada,part dream and inspiration of our music and city where is settled Al
Firdaus Ensemble
- International Festival of Andalusi Music, Monastir, Tunisia.
December 2012
- Islamic Festival of Mértola, Portugal. May 2013
- Sacred Music Festival, Fez, Morocco. June 2013
- Sufi Soul Festival, Kall, Germany. August 2013
Firdaus Ensemble
Group formation: Quarteto
· Ali Keeler: Voice and violin
· Yusuf Mezghildi: Qanun, Lute and chorus voice
· Salma Vives: Cello
· Omar Benlamlih: Percussion (bendir y darbuka) and voice.
[email protected]
+34 663 522 419
The group takes its inspiration from al-Firdaus, the Arabic name for the most elevated
place in Paradise.
The word Paradise is derived from faradis, the plural form of firdaus, which is originally a
Persian word.
The intercultural nature of this name reflects the character of the group in which musicians from different countries and cultural backgrounds are brought together with one
purpose.
Their aspiration is to express through music the memory of the heavenly world we come
from and to which we long to return.
Just as the musicians tune their instruments, they need to tune their hearts to receive the
inspiration of the moment and bring themselves and their audience into a state of spiritual
contemplation. Sama´, the traditional Arabic word for this kind of music, could be translated as the art of listening, which is the doorway to contemplation for both artists and audience alike.
Al-Firdaus Ensemble, based in Granada, was founded in 2012 by the violinist and singer, Ali
Keeler, and includes musicians from England, Spain and Morocco.
The unique sound of their music is due to a synthesis of different musical styles. These
include original compositions with influences from Western classical, Celtic and Flamenco
traditions as well as arrangements of songs drawn from the rich heritage of 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 of
al-Andalus and the Arab world, such as Ibn Arabi and al-Shushtari. Also within their repertory are musical adaptations of poems in aljamiado, the Spanish language written by the
Moriscos in the sixteenth century using the Arabic script.
The group usually performs as a quartet or quintet, but is versatile and can perform as a
trio or in larger formations, depending on the situation. 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.
They also perform in a choral formation accompanied only by drums.
Apart from performing in numerous concerts throughout Spain, they have participated in
several international festivals.
In this concert was born Firdaus current training Ensemble. Cultural Center Atarfe Medina
Elvira (Granada)
Alhambra de Granada,part dream and inspiration of our music and city where is settled Al
Firdaus Ensemble
- International Festival of Andalusi Music, Monastir, Tunisia.
December 2012
- Islamic Festival of Mértola, Portugal. May 2013
- Sacred Music Festival, Fez, Morocco. June 2013
- Sufi Soul Festival, Kall, Germany. August 2013
Firdaus Ensemble
Ali Keeler:
• Born in London in 1973 and later moved to the district of Kent where he
spent the rest of his childhood.
• He started learning the violin at the age of seven and played in several classical youth orchestras.
• He went on to study classical violin at the Royal Northern College of Music
in Manchester where he gained experience playing in a string quartet.
• He then went to Damascus in Syria to study Arabic.
• During his time in Syria he studied tajwid, the art of Quran recitation, and
learnt to sing within the tradition of the maqam in the zawiyas of Damascus
and Aleppo.
• He received instruction in singing from the distinguished munshid
Mustapha Karim and learnt the recitation of Quran from several master.
• Applying his musical experience within the Arabic tradition to the violin, he
has developed a varied repertoire of pieces from Celtic, Arabic, Andalusi and
Turkish sources.
• He has given a number of recitals solo collaborating in several concerts with
the German sufi ensemblethe Caravan of Love.
• In 2006 he moved to Granada
group both as a performer, arranger and composer, performing in concerts and festivals in Spain, France, Portugal, Germany, Turkey and Morrocco where they took part in the Festival of Andalusi
music in Casablanca in 2010 and in the Seventh edition of the Festival of Sufi
Culture in Fez in 2011.
Firdaus Ensemble
Omar Benlamlih
• He was born in Casablanca to a family of musicians and singers within
the sufi tradition, originally from Fez.
• He learnt to sing and play percussion at the Casablanca Academy of
Music, and through his attendance at sufi gatherings at various zawiyas
in Casablanca and Fez.
• He leads various groups including; Tangeri Café Orchestra and Turath
al Andalus, which offer music from a range of musical styles including
Arabic, Andalusi, Flamenco and jazz, and fusion.
• He learned the recitation of Quran from several masters, Applying his
musical experience within the Arabic tradition to the violin, he has developed a varied repertoire of pieces from Celtic, Arabic, Andalusi and
Turkish sources.
Firdaus Ensemble
·Yusuf Mezghildi
•He was born in Tetouan, Morrocco in 1962.
•From the age of 5 he attended the sufi gatherings at the Zawiya Kittaniya
with his father an Imam and Islamic scholar, where he learnt to sing traditional devotional songs.
•He continued his musical training at the Academy of Music of Tetouan where
he studied over the course of ten years
•He studied solfeo, the lute with the distinguished teacher and also studied
under the former Director of the Orquestra of Tetouan and
head of the Academy of music, Muhammed Larbi.
•He has had 25 years of experience playing both lute and qanun with well
known groups.
•He later moved to Spain where he performed and recorded with many
renowned artists such as Enrique Morente, José Merce, Lole y
Manuel, María Valverde and El Lebrijano.
•He has performed in many countries in Europe and the Arab
world and spent 2 years in Orlando in the US working in a
musical group at the Morroccan Pavilion at Disney Land.
•In 2010 he joined the group Al Kauthar performing with them
in Festivals in Casblanca and Fez.
•He plays with different styles:
Arabic, Andalusi,Flamenco, and Medieval. These include The Shekara Orchestra of Tetouan, Nawba Andalusia, Al Tarab, Turath Al Andalus and Alchemist.
Firdaus Ensemble
Salma Vives
•She was born in Elche near Alicante in 1983 and started
learning the cello at seven.
•She studied music at the conservatoire in Elche , and later
in the conservatoire of Granada.
•Her interest in ancient music and oriental music led her to
take up the lute her second instrument. She gained
experience playing the lute in a group called Najla
dedicated to the interpretation of Arabic, Andalusi and
traditional Spanish folk music.
•She also has experience in playing flamenco music and
collaborated with flamenco artists such as the guitarist
Fraskito.
•She also plays with the ney player Ignacio Bejar in the
group ´El Sombrero del Alquimista´
•She was one of the founding members of Al Kauthar in
which she contributed both as a performer and arranger.
•She recorded in their CD Ruh with both cello and lute.
•She has been with Al Firdaus Ensemble since its beginning,
performing with the group in the city of Monastir Tunisia in
the first International Festival of Andalusi Music.