The CBSO & The Orchestral Qawwali Project

The CBSO bring The Orchestral Qawwali Project to Symphony Hall on Thursday 4 February 2027, starting at 7:00pm. It's a collaboration written and directed by CBSO Collaborative Artist Rushil Ranjan, who brings together Sufi poetry, Indian classical dance and the full symphony orchestra. The whole thing is built around the soaring vocals of Abi Sampa, set against rich orchestral arrangements, and it runs for about two hours with a 20-minute interval.

Qawwali is a form of Sufi devotional music, and Ranjan describes the project as an attempt to capture its original intention: to lead the listener to spiritual rapture. That's the thread that ties the different elements together — the poetry, the dance and the orchestra all working towards the same thing. On stage, you'll find Melvin Tay conducting, Rushil Ranjan on piano as well as composing and arranging, and Abi Sampa on lead vocals, with the CBSO providing the orchestral weight behind them.

If you're curious about how it all comes together, there's a pre-concert talk with Rushil Ranjan offered ahead of the show, so you can hear from the person who put it together before the music starts. Just a practical one to keep in mind: under-16s have to be accompanied by an adult.

Tickets range from £27.50 to £65.50, and every ticket over £15 includes a £4 commission. The performance starts at 7:00pm at Symphony Hall on Broad Street, B1 2EA.