Izmir 2025
Izmir, 10th -15th April 2025
Ishirini visted Izmir in April 2025, guests of The Revd Canon James Buxton, chaplain of St. John the Evangelist Church. James was a consummate host, and we are very grateful for the warm welcome he and his team extended to us.
He kindly allowed us the use of his church to rehearse in, and gave us a fabulous tour of the Bay of Smyrna on public ferries, via various tasty street-food stalls!
We sang a concert in the church on the Saturday evening and during the Palm Sunday service there the following day.
Our programme was a musical meditation on the Nicene creed, in honour of the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea, which took place only 250 miles away from Izmir. We sang a selection of pieces, in a variety of different styles, each reflecting the individual sections of the creed, and interspersed the music with a reading of the creed in Latin and English. The concert included a performance of an arrangement of The Lord is my Shepherd by Howard Goodall which included our children, and culminated in the setting of the Credo from Byrd's Mass for Four Voices. 
On Monday we gave a recital in the Catholic Church of Saint Polycarp. The church had been closed for some months due to extensive restoration works, but we were graciously granted permission by Archbishop Martin to sing there for an audience of visiting pilgrims. We were extremely touched to receive a generous gift of an old rafter from the roof which was beautifully painted by the restoration team. 
Performances:
Saturday 12th April, 7pm: Concert in St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church
Sunday 13th April, 10am: Palm Sunday Service in St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church
Monday 14th April, 4pm: Concert in Saint Polycarp Catholic Church
