Idrîsî Ensemble

For this special London Jazz Festival appearance the Idrîsî Ensemble presents a one-off programme exploring bold new terrain and original works that blend ancient sonorities with modern invention.

Pioneering a fresh approach to historical performance, Idrîsî Ensemble draws on period manuscripts, endangered oral traditions, and UNESCO-protected repertoires. They sing the Mediterranean not as a boundary between identities, but as a living archive of exchange, migration, and evolution.

As the UK’s only ensemble specialising in the performance of Old Roman chant, this show is a genre-defying journey through reconstructed medieval modes and rhythmic improvisation, blurring the lines between past and present.

Directed by scholar-musicians with deep roots in medieval literature, music archaeology, and postcolonial historiography.

James Weeks, director of EXAUDI, described their sound as a “total gamechanger” and “not mere escapist nostalgia, but a living, exploratory art of real power.”

Please note Margins Cafe will not be held for this event

More Information:

For Accessibility, please click here.

The venue is seating only. All seats are unreserved and are taken on a first come first serve basis. Please arrive early before event door times if you have preferred seats. Due to the nature of our venue, please be prepared to queue for entry.

The venue is fully accessible, with use of ramps and the upstairs bar is accessible with use of a platform lift. Please email [email protected] with your accessibility requirements as soon as you purchase your ticket as requests are dealt with on a first come, first serve basis.

The bar is located on the first floor of the venue and will be open from the stated door time and remain open after the show.

Alcohol consumption will be limited to the bar area only, it is not permitted to take alcohol to the main chapel space.  An array of soft drinks and snacks will also be available and are permitted in the main space - please note the Union Chapel bar and kiosk accept card payment only. Strictly no food or drink may be brought from outside into the venue. Water bottles must be emptied before entering the venue, with refilling stations available inside.