ABRA Ensemble // אנסמבל אברא

Co-founder. Vocalist. Co-composer. Free improvisor.

2013 - Present

ABRA is a vocal performance ensemble led cooperatively by its four members, vocalists/composers Chanan Ben Simon, Noa Haran, Yifeat Ziv and Faye Shapiro.

The name ABRA comes from the Aramaic phrase “ABRA KA DABRA” - “I shall create what I speak” –  

a potent spell that grants power of creation to the vocal act of speaking…

Through the art of improvisation, ABRA expands the existing limits between experimental virtuoso vocal expression and the immediate accessible human encounter with the audience.  As an ensemble of composers, ABRA draws from various musical and artistic backgrounds: different ethnic vocal traditions, American minimalism, modern avant-garde, popular music and common speech of daily life.

Throughout the five years of its existence, ABRA has performed at a wide range of venues and spaces in Israel and Europe, each time creating works that relate to the specific spatial, acoustic and historical conditions.

ABRA released their debut album in July 2015, titled - "Vocal Sessions / For Four Emotional Registers / 2014 - 2015".