Chicago Immigrant Orchestra – Sanctuary (Wahdude Music, 2025)
Chicago Immigrant Orchestra has released Sanctuary, an eclectic, boundary-blurring album focused on preserving folk songs rooted in multiple global traditions. At the same, the twenty-piece ensemble contributes new arrangements and dazzling interplay. Artistic directors Fareed Haque and Wanees Zarour lead a remarkable lineup drawn from Chicago’s immigrant communities, connecting musical heritages from the Far East, Western Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
“Rarely do we have a situation where two people are trying to compete for the same role in the music,” Haque said, noting that some pieces have even been arranged “literally on stage as we were playing.”
Sanctuary presents traditional songs reconstructed through fearlessly original, collaborative arranging and onstage spontaneity, with humility cited by Haque as the engine that keeps the music cohesive across languages and styles.
The result is a splendid set of entwined melodies where exquisite lutes from various traditions meet throat singing and vocal styles from other regions of the world, supported by dazzling global percussion.
The orchestra first formed in 1999 under the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, with Willy Schwartz at the helm through 2004. A revival took place in 2019 when the department tapped Haque and Zarour to rebuild the project for the 2020 Chicago World Music Festival, which the group ultimately performed as a lauded virtual concert during the pandemic.
Musicians:
- Tzu Tsen Wu — ruan; multi-instrumentalist specializing in zhongruan and liuqin; graduate student in the World Music Program at Northern Illinois University.
- Saraswathi Ranganathan — veena; Chicago Music Award winner and cross-cultural collaborator with commissions from Chicago Humanities Festival.
- Tamir Hargana — throat singing; morin khuur and other Mongolian/Tuvan instruments; NIU M.M. alum and frequent educator.
- Ugochi Nwaogwugwu — voice/poetry; founder of Spirit Speaks, Inc.; creator of the Ike (#Ikepoem) form.
- Hitesh Master Nayak — voice/harmonium; Hindustani classical training rooted in a multigenerational artist family; Chicago-based teacher and performer.
- Sophia Uddin — violin/viola; session contributor and Middle East Music Ensemble member; University of Chicago medical student.
- Juan Pastor — percussion; jazz and Afro-Peruvian specialist; leader of Chinchano; faculty roles in Peru and the Chicago area.
- Richard Christian — Indian percussion.
- Sam Taheri — voice.
- Paul Cotton — West African percussion.
Buy Sanctuary.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.