Ha Orchestra is the first African Symphonic Orchestra in Scotland the UK and Europe, It is a melting pot of musical experiences from various regions of Africa and its Diaspora and taps into the vast unexplored treasure of musical cultures of Africa and the African diaspora experience and values. Founded by Gameli Tordzro in 2014, Ha Orchestra was an important part of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Festival, performing at Glasgow’s major venues including Kelvingrove Band Stand, Glasgow Green, The Merchants Square and BBC at The Quay. As part of the AHRC RM Borders research project at the University of Glasgow, Ha Orchestra is featured in the project’s Creative Arts Hub first documentary film as well as the theatre production Broken World Broken Word.
The Orchestra’s international musicians are based in Scotland, Denmark, Spain, Italy, England, Guinea, Ghana, Belgium, France and Ghana, playing a range of African and Western instruments including the Gimbre from Morocco, flutes from Burkina Faso, Ghana and Europe, Drums Fontonfrom, Gbogba, Sogo, Dondo and Brekete drums from Ghana, string instruments like the Kora, Seprewa and Kamale Ngoni from Gambia, Ghana and Bourkina Faso respectively, and many more rare instruments across the African continent. Their colourful costume is designs and made by Naa Densua Tordzro. Since 2014, Ha Orchestra has many workshops and performed many of Gameli Tordzro’s compositions including Azorli Blewuu, Whispers and Manyiba, Desert Rain, in Glasgow and Inverness Scotland, Copenhagen and Vig In Denmark.
Our Music
Our music originates from divers musical cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora. It draws on Moroccan Gnawa, to Ghanaian Agbadza, and Akan Adowa and Dagare Gyle, to Gambian and Senegalese Kora to Ugandan Ngidingi and Burkina Faso Kamale Ngoni to Zimbabwean Mbira musical traditions. It opens up to musical traditions of the West blending Atenteben music with the European orchestral flutes.
You are welcome to enjoy our music making here with us!
“…the best African symphonic orchestral music in artistic research by far”
“we want you to know that your music is great! but most importantly we see the strong friendship between you all on stage when you play”