The Anjali Orchestra is a unique ensemble of acoustic musicians weaving an intricate tapestry of sounds played on instruments from around the world. The music is characterised by the musicians’ common interest in sacred and devotional music.
The orchestra is comprised of multi-instrumentalists who bring together a wide range of musical influences, from Japanese, Indian, African, Turkish and Persian traditional music to bluegrass, Celtic, classical and jazz.
An atmosphere devotional heartspace and meditation pervades the mood of the Anjali Orchestra, and this mood is sustained through rehearsals to public performances, allowing the music to rise naturally from deep silence. The end results can be tranquil or dynamic and are as likely to be infused with elements of joyful celebration as they are with moments of exquisite musical poise.
Sometimes a smaller, more condensed version of the orchestra, with only 4, 5 or 6 musicians, performs as the Anjali Ensemble.
“The inspiration for this group arose from a 10th Century silk painting that I saw many years ago hanging in a temple in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. It depicted a Buddha seated on a cloud, descending from Heaven, surrounded by celestial musicians playing all manner of real and imagined instruments. I discovered that this image, known as Amida Raigo, was a depiction of Amida Buddha descending to Earth accompanied by heavenly musicians. I began to wonder what the music of such a colourful and imaginary celestial orchestra might sound like… thus the seed for the Anjali Orchestra was sown.”
Adrian Freedman
