The Sogdian Ensemble, founded in 2025 by musician and Artistic Director Saba Safa, draws inspiration from Sogdiana, the historic Persian region at the crossroads of the Silk Road, where East and West met through the exchange of cultures, ideas, art and music.
Bringing together musicians, traditions and sounds from diverse musical worlds, the ensemble explores the relationship between heritage and innovation through creative collaboration and contemporary artistic perspectives. At its heart, Sogdian Ensemble celebrates musical creativity, cultural exchange and our shared human experience.
The ensemble premiered its first project, Tales of the Silk Road, a cross-cultural collaboration bringing Persian traditional music into dialogue with jazz. Centred on the distinctive interplay between the kamancheh, an ancient Persian spike fiddle, and the electric bass guitar, the project explores new musical possibilities through improvisation, tradition and contemporary expression.
Tales Of The Silk Road
The project brings together Saba Safa, a virtuoso Persian musician, and Dr Nick Reynolds, Head of Jazz at the University of Chichester, in a distinctive musical collaboration that bridges Persian musical heritage and contemporary jazz. Their debut performance at the Festival of Chichester was sold out and warmly received, marking a successful launch for the ensemble.
