Kosmos Ensemble set to make Horsham debut

Their performance is on Saturday, September 21 at 7pm in the Causeway Barn when Kosmos are promising a dazzling global music programme to open the autumn series.

Alongside Meg (viola) in the trio are Harriet Mackenzie (violin) and Milos Miliojevic (accordion), each international soloists in their own right and united by a shared passion for improvisation and for music from around the world, all approached with the rigour of their classical training. For tickets phone 01403 252602 and online from wegottickets.com/HorshamMusicCircle. Tickets also on the door.

Meg, who still has strong family links with the Chichester area, was delighted to get the Horsham invitation: “They got in touch asking us to come and play. We often play music circles as well as festivals in the UK and abroad and if a lovely music circle gets in touch, then we always try to say yes. We're really excited. We've played quite a lot in Chichester and further south but we have never before performed in Horsham. It's our first time there and it seems like there's a lot of music going on in the town.

“We have been together since we were students or just graduating. Kosmos has been our entire career. We found Milos practising in the corridor of the Royal Academy of Music and he sounded so amazing. I was playing with Harriet already. We had a little trio going and we were just getting things together but we just loved the sound of the accordion. I've always loved playing Eastern European music as well as tango, and the accordion is just perfect for that. The accordion is up and coming as a classical instrument, and Milos is a classical accordionist. It has been lovely to have him on board, first as a guest and in recent years as a permanent member. We were often four and sometimes we were even more because we love to collaborate and we have done a lot of collaborations but now we are violin and viola and accordion. We are all classically trained but we are all passionate about music from other parts of the world. I absolutely love Jewish music and from there I've moved to music from the Balkans and other parts of eastern Europe.”

Meg also loves the flexibility of the violin which takes on its own characteristics in whatever country it is played: “You've got Scottish and you've got Irish and there's a special way of playing in France and then you've got all the gypsy styles and you've got the Balkans and eastern Europe. And then you think that it's all travelled all the way from India and there are lots of Indian roots but there was also the Ottoman Empire for 500 years. We have found so many different styles of playing but really I have devoted my career to Eastern European music and Balkans music especially the tango. Almost every country has taken on the tango.”