The London Uyghur Ensemble is a London-based group playing traditional and popular music of the Central Asian Uyghurs. Our group includes Uyghur musicians from the Uyghur homeland - East Turkistan (the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China) and from the Uyghur diaspora in Kyrgyzstan, in collaboration with professional British musicians. Our repertoire includes instrumental pieces, dance, composed and traditional songs, and the classical ‘Twelve Muqam’ suites.
Since the group was established in 2004‚ we have worked hard to build our repertoire and profile. Some of our musicians and associates came to the UK as refugees‚ and we made our debut at the London South Bank ‘Sanctuary’ festival for refugee music in 2005. Other gigs include the ‘Musics of the Turkic-Speaking World’ concert held in November 2005 in the School of Oriental and African Studies‚ London‚ the Cambridge Nawroz concert in March 2006, A Celebration of Spring at St Marks Church in May 2007, the Holy Cross Refugee Centre party in June 2007 and for the 12th International CHIME Conference at the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland in October 2007.
Recent gigs include St Ethelburgas, London in April 2008 and the "Diaspora London Music Village 2008" festival in Hyde Park, by the Serpentine lake, London, on Saturday 12th July, and the Sidmouth folk festival, Devon in August 2008. Upcoming gigs for 2009 include the Islington Folk Club (Jan 29), the SOAS Brunei Gallery (Feb 17), both in London, and Sheffield University (Feb 24th). We perform regularly at Uyghur community events, and as part of the community´s efforts to reach out to wider audiences in the UK and elsewhere. Since our website was established in 2007, we have received considerable interest from Uyghurs in the Uyghur homeland and diaspora.
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Rahimä Mahmut (singer)
Rahimä was brought up in a large religious family in the Ili valley (Uyghur region). She learned to sing from her mother‚ absorbing the distinctive local style‚ and was much in demand at local mäshräp parties; accompanied by her brothers on the dutar long-necked lute. Since settling in London she keeps up with the latest songs via VCD releases.
A sizeable Uyghur community lives in Kyrgyzstan; many families fled from China during the Cultural Revolution‚ and they maintain the traditions of the homeland in exile. Alongside his interest in classical guitar‚ Nizamidin learned Uyghur traditions and several instruments: dap frame drum‚ dutar‚ and the long–necked tämbur lute from senior musicians in Kyrgyzstan.
Yalckun Abdurehim (dancer)
Yalckun Abdurehim was born in Kashgar, and studied dance from the age of 11. Since coming to England in 1991 he further studied Ballet, contemporary dance, and choreography until 1993. Since then he has performed with Bat Dor Dance company of Israel, the English National Ballet, English National Opera, Matthew Hawkins Dance company, Royal Opera, Glyndebourne Opera, Opera North, and the Peter Schauffus Ballet, Denmark. He has toured around the UK and Europe. With the London Uyghur Ensemble he returns to his roots, performing traditional Uyghur dance.
Stephen Jones (violin/ghijäk)
Stephen Jones is a professional violinist‚ who can be more often found playing in the UK's leading early music orchestras. Also a leading authority on Chinese music‚ he has established several Chinese music groups in the UK before being tempted to join the London Uyghur Ensemble and begin experimenting with the ghijak spike fiddle.
Rachel Harris (dutar)
Rachel Harris teaches ethnomusicology at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. Her research focuses on the music of the Uyghurs‚ and she has spent long periods in the Uyghur region‚ where she learned the dutar.
Originally from Kyrgyzstan, Rustam is now settled in London. He learned dap frame drum with Nizamidin, and is the newest addition to the group.
Aziz Isa (founder/administrator)
Aziz Isa was born in Shayar county north of the Tarim River (Uyghur region). Since 2001 he has lived in London and has organised several Uyghur community events and cultural events to raise awareness of the Uyghurs amongst the British public. These activities led to the establishing of this London Uyghur Ensemble. Currently he is working in London as a Web Designer and interpreter / translator.
The London Uyghur Ensemble is a London-based group playing traditional and popular music of the Central Asian Uyghurs. Our group includes Uyghur musicians from the Uyghur homeland - East Turkistan (the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of China) and from the Uyghur diaspora in Kyrgyzstan, in collaboration with professional British musicians. Our repertoire includes instrumental pieces, dance, composed and traditional songs, and the classical ‘Twelve Muqam’ suites.
Rahimä Mahmut (singer)
Nizamidin Sametov (tämbur)
Yalckun Abdurehim (dancer)
Stephen Jones (violin/ghijäk)
Rachel Harris (dutar)
Rustam Saliev (dap)
Aziz Isa (founder/administrator)