Orpheus XXI: The Ensemble That Reaches Out to Migrants and Refugees in Europe
So much of music from around the world remains yet to be explored. Fortunately, musicians like Jordi Savall and the ensemble Orpheus XXI introduce lesser-known musical traditions to Western audiences.
By Joseph John L. Verallo · May 18, 2026
Jordi Savall’s oeuvre as a musician is an eclectic–almost esoteric–hotpot of several styles, spanning different cultures and time periods. Yet there is a reason for this eclecticism that goes beyond aesthetics; there is also an altruistic humanism behind it all.
Orpheus XXI started as a Creative Europe-funded project back in 2017, led by Savall, with the goal of training young refugees and migrants with acclaimed musicians. The project has since concluded in 2019; however, Orpheus XXI has evolved into its own musical ensemble that continues to perform and record throughout Europe, allowing refugees to rediscover and preserve their musical heritage while also exposing the European population to refugees’ cultures.
The ensemble is composed of just over 20 refugee and migrant musicians with Kurdish, Syrian, Bengali, Sudanese, Turkish, Moroccan, Afghan, and Armenian descent. Orpheus XXI has held workshops teaching children, in hopes that they may continue transmitting their musical heritage.
To date, they have performed in Catalonia, France, Norway, Morocco, participating in festivals (recordings of which may be found on YouTube) such as:
Festival Musique et Histoire de Fontfroide (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9EPLZF8_tU)
Festival de Música Antiga de Poblet (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vki_MlJnh8w)
The figure of Orpheus, the mythical musician, was chosen to represent the ensemble as his story tells of how music brings peace, harmony, and healing. Empathetic toward migrant and refugee conditions, Savall is aware that although music cannot eliminate all problems, “it helps however to find a path so life is more humane.”