Ensemble Irini

Based in Marseille and founded in 2015 by Lila Hajosi, Ensemble Irini specialises in early sacred music from the East and West, between Rome and Constantinople, and is internationally recognised for its exacting standards and unique, out-of-the-box and daring proposals, far removed from the usual codes of Early Music.

Ensemble Irini has established itself as a force to be reckoned with in vocal music: a polymorphous ensemble with no soprano, it nevertheless illuminates the Orthodox repertoire and Renaissance compositions with new, warm and profound colours.

From Maria Nostra (2015, Choc de Classica disc in 2018) to Janua (2023-24) via O Sidera (2019, disc in 2021) and Printemps Sacré, vivre, mourir, (re)naître (2022-24, TTTT de Télérama, 5 stars in La Libre Belgique), Ensemble Irini's programmes open up dialogues between the sacred East and West, between the wisdom of yesterday and the upheavals of today, true to its name, which means “Peace” in Greek.

In 2025-2026, Ensemble Irini enters a new era with Post Tenebras (spero lucem), its most ambitious programme yet, featuring repertoire from the beginnings of the Venetian and Byzantine Baroque, in double choir with brass. The creation of Invictae, a women's programme returning to the ensemble's medieval roots, means that for the first time it can offer a total, multi-disciplinary performance, with voice, dance and staging.

Fond of opening up and collaborating, Ensemble Irini co-created Prophitissai in 2024 with Tom de Cock, combining Lassus, Xenakis and ancient Greek and Byzantine music, followed in 2025 by The Book of Women, with the Ictus orchestra. These two creations, combining contemporary and early music, were commissioned by the MAFestival in Bruges.

If the ensemble is today invited to prestigious venues and festivals in France and abroad, and supported by the Fondation Société Générale and Caisse des Dépôts, it is thanks to the energy of its director, Lila Hajosi, and a solid team of experienced chamber musicians. Originally a singer before becoming a conductor, Lila Hajosi has succeeded in bringing her musical and aesthetic reflections to life in fascinating concerts that sweep us away, almost in spite of ourselves.

May 2025