Constantinople
Constantinople is a musical ensemble that chose the journey—geographical certainly, but also historical, cultural and inner—as its cornerstone. It draws inspiration from all sources and aims for distant horizons.

Constantinople On Tour
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Estuarykora mandinka-music On tour persian-music setar
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Bach & KhayyamOn tour womex-en
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Traverséeschamber music hafez kora mandinka-music On tour persian-music renaissance manuscripts setar womex-en
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Cantemir, The Composer Princecantemir On tour
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Odyssey of Krystof Haranteastern-europe-music On tour womex-en
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Khayyam & Oum Kalthoummiddle-east-music On tour turkey-music
May 2026
03may15 h 00 minTraverséesWhereCalgary, Canada
Event Details
Constantinople returns with another fascinating cross-cultural musical exploration featuring director Kiya Tabassian with Didem Basar and Patrick Graham. They will bring us on a journey with musical
Event Details
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On stage
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Kiya Tabassian, setar & voice
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Patrick Graham, percussion
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Didem Basar, kanun
Time
Where
Calgary, Canada
Organizer
13may20 h 30 minFrom Seville to IsfahanWhereLugo, Spain
Event Details
With the great master of the Spanish Renaissance, a truly golden age of polyphony came to light. They knew how to incorporate in a mainly French and Flemish context the
Event Details
With the great master of the Spanish Renaissance, a truly golden age of polyphony came to light. They knew how to incorporate in a mainly French and Flemish context the tracks left by the Moores and Muslim cultures, so present in medieval Spain.
With Fahmi Alqhai, one of the greatest virtuoso of viola da gamba, and his Accademia del Piacere, an important ensemble of the Spanish early music, Constantinople started a musical journey between Iberian cultures and those from Perse and Central Asia, rediscovering music with sumptuous colours and a rare aesthetical richness.
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On stage
- Kiya Tabassian: voice, setar & direction
- Didem Basar: kanun
- Patrick Graham: percussions
- Hamin Honari: tombak
With Accademia del piacere:
- Johanna Rose: viola da gamba
- Rami Alqhai: viola da gamba
- Fahmi Alqhai: viola da gamba
Time
Where
Lugo, Spain
Organizer
21may20 h 00 minCrossing the AndesWhereToronto, Canada
Event Details
Constantinople & Small World Music present: Crossing the Andes This concert revisits Andean and South American music through 17th– and 18th-century manuscripts, including Codice Trujillo and Codice
Event Details
Constantinople & Small World Music present: Crossing the Andes
This concert revisits Andean and South American music through 17th– and 18th-century manuscripts, including Codice Trujillo and Codice Luz y Norte. Some popular oral traditions are added to the above sources to enrich the musical repertoire, in the image of these bright and colorful people.
This project is supported financially by the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Conseil des Arts du Canada, and the Asociación ZINIA in Peru.
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On stage
Kiya Tabassian, setar & direction
Federico Tarazona, charango
Consuelo Jeri, voice
Jonatan Alvarado, voice & baroque guitar
Sigi Velásquez, quena
Tanya LaPerrière, baroque violin & viola d’amore
Etienne Lafrance, doublebass
Patrick Graham, percussions
Time
Location
Trinity-St. Paul's United Church
Where
Toronto, Canada
Organizer
22may19 h 00 minAcross the AndesWhereOttawa, Canada
Event Details
A rich and extraordinary musical journey through the ancient Andes — Constantinople and master Peruvian musicians explore the Martínez Compañón and Zuola codices. Join us for a vibrant evening of discovery
Event Details
A rich and extraordinary musical journey through the ancient Andes — Constantinople and master Peruvian musicians explore the Martínez Compañón and Zuola codices.
Join us for a vibrant evening of discovery as the ensemble Constantinople, directed by Kiya Tabassian, together with its distinguished guests from Peru, delves into the rich musical memory of this land.
The music of the Andes and South America is the heir to pre-Hispanic musical traditions, enriched by the instruments and repertoires brought by the peoples who later settled in this “New World.” This encounter between profoundly different cultures gave rise to remarkable musical works, rediscovered today in 17th- and 18th-century codices such as those of Martínez Compañón and Zuola.
Yet this memory does not live only in manuscripts; it continues through oral and popular traditions, passed down from generation to generation, whose rhythms and melodies still resonate across South America. A true bridge between worlds, this music weaves a magnificent tapestry of sound where history, identity, and living imagination converge.
This project is supported financially by the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Conseil des Arts du Canada, and the Asociación ZINIA in Peru.
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On stage
Kiya Tabassian, setar & direction
Federico Tarazona, charango
Consuelo Jeri, voice
Jonatan Alvarado, voice & baroque guitar
Sigi Velásquez, quena
Tanya LaPerrière, baroque violin & viola d’amore
Etienne Lafrance, doubleras
Patrick Graham, percussions
Time
Location
Allsaints
Where
Ottawa, Canada
Organizer
23may20 h 00 minAcross the AndesWhereMontréal, Canada
Event Details
This concert revisits Andean and South American music through 17th– and 18th-century manuscripts, including Codice Trujillo and Codice Luz y Norte. Some popular oral traditions are added to
Event Details
This concert revisits Andean and South American music through 17th– and 18th-century manuscripts, including Codice Trujillo and Codice Luz y Norte. Some popular oral traditions are added to the above sources to enrich the musical repertoire, in the image of these bright and colorful people.
This project is supported financially by the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Conseil des Arts du Canada, and the Asociación ZINIA in Peru.
Buy your tickets
On stage
Kiya Tabassian, setar & direction
Federico Tarazona, charango
Consuelo Jeri, voice
Jonatan Alvarado, voice & baroque guitar
Sigi Velásquez, quena
Tanya LaPerrière, baroque violin & viola d’amore
Etienne Lafrance, doublebass
Patrick Graham, percussions
Time
Location
Église Saint-Enfant Jésus du Mile End
Where
Montréal, Canada
Organizer
25may20 h 00 minACCROSS THE ANDESWhereQuébec, Canada
Event Details
ACCROSS THE ANDES Exploring the Musical Heritage of Peru The music of the Andes and South America is heir to pre-Hispanic musical traditions, which were enriched by the contribution of instruments and
Event Details
ACCROSS THE ANDES
Exploring the Musical Heritage of Peru
The music of the Andes and South America is heir to pre-Hispanic musical traditions, which were enriched by the contribution of instruments and repertoires of the peoples who settled the lands of this “New World.” This interaction between vastly different cultures gave rise to the most remarkable music, which was rediscovered in codices from the 16th and 17th centuries and which have seen the addition of pieces from oral and popular traditions that were passed down from one generation to the next. We invite you to a musical evening filled with light and colour, in the company of Constantinople’s musicians and Federico Tarazona, one of the greatest virtuosos of the most symbolic and representative instrument of Andean music, the charango.
This project is supported financially by the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec, the Conseil des Arts du Canada, and the Asociación ZINIA in Peru.
Buy your tickets
On stage
Kiya Tabassian, setar & direction
Federico Tarazona, charango
Consuelo Jeri, voice
Jonatan Alvarado, voice & baroque guitar
Sigi Velásquez, quena
Tanya LaPerrière, baroque violin & viola d’amore
Etienne Lafrance, doublebass
Patrick Graham, percussions
Time
Location
Grand Théâtre de Québec
Where
Québec, Canada
Organizer
Kiya Tabassian
A virtuoso of the setar and an acclaimed composer, Kiya has developed more than 50 creations all over the world.
The exceptional musicians who regularly collaborate with the artistic director on his creations.
Prestigious artists from diverse world traditions who join Constantinople to develop new works.