ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Acclaimed Kurdish composer Abdullah Jamal Sagirma has been invited to participate in the prestigious Impuls Festival 2025 in Germany, where he will present two of his orchestral works - making him the only Kurd selected to represent his community at the event.
"I am delighted to announce my participation in the Impuls Festival 2025 in Germany, where two of my orchestral works will be premiered," Sagirma told Rudaw on Thursday.
Spanning more than a month, the Impuls Festival will showcase some of Germany’s most renowned ensembles and features 14 composers from nine countries, including Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, the United States, South Korea, Switzerland, Argentina, Australia.
The Kurdistan Region will also participate in the very “prestigious and high-level festival,” Sagirma confirmed.
Sagirma is scheduled to participate in the opening concert on October 8, where he will present his 15-minute piece, “The Cello of Eden,” a composition for solo cello and string orchestra performed in six short movements.
"The piece draws on authentic Kurdish modes, rhythms, and melodies, aiming to create a creative balance between Kurdish musical identity and contemporary musical language," he explained. The solo cello part will be performed by Simone Drescher, under the baton of Ilya Ram.
Sagirma will return to the stage on October 13 and 14 at Theater Magdeburg to premiere his second piece, “God’s Garden,” a 15-minute work for large symphonic orchestra.
"Inspired by well-known Kurdish folk songs such as Khudaia Watan Awakai, Kavoke, and Lorke,” the composition features “41 parts for a wide range of instruments, crafted in a contemporary language with a universal character," Sagirma said.
The month-long festival will include a series of concerts and feature several leading German orchestras, including the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Magdeburg Philharmonic Orchestra.