We sat down for an exclusive interview with Artistic Director and conductor Josh Asokan ahead of Odyssey Ensemble’s London Debut at Kings Place on 24th May. Odyssey Ensemble is the UK’s first professional musical collective dedicated to sharing real-life stories of asylum-seekers and refugees in their own words. Tickets here.
How has your background in representing asylum-seeking children shaped the way you approach music-making and storytelling through Odyssey Ensemble?
I spent several hundred hours sitting face-to-face with asylum-seeking children as a refugee lawyer, listening as they shared their life stories and documenting them in detail for the legal process. These were raw, deeply personal accounts of teenagers fleeing ethnic genocide, torture due to a parent’s political stance, entrapment in modern slavery, and other unspeakable horrors.
And yet, I saw how the public narrative about refugees was starkly different. Asylum-seekers are often portrayed as nameless, faceless problems to be dealt with and gotten rid of. Dehumanising language is rife in the public conversation surrounding refugees and it’s easy to forget that we are talking about real people.
Whatever people’s views on refugee policy might be, I hope that everyone can agree that human beings have inherent worth and dignity, which is not something to be stripped away from them, especially when they are fleeing violence.
In this context, Odyssey Ensemble uses performances to bring audiences into contact with asylum-seekers and refugees. It’s striking that this is very often the first time that audience members will have seen and heard from refugees directly. Our work seeks to harness the power of music to amplify real-life stories of refugees, inspiring empathy and respect for their basic human dignity.
What was the process like working with asylum seekers and refugees to bring their words and memories into a musical form for Things I Carried?
The process was deeply collaborative and, by necessity, sensitive. It was far from a traditional artistic commission. All of our refugee poets are writing in English – a language that isn’t their first, and they’re often grappling with trauma or anxiety. We’re fortunate to have Kate Clanchy MBE mentoring them – helping shape ideas, refine drafts, and build confidence in their writing and reading skills.
Each piece is shaped through ongoing dialogue with the poet, our composer, sound designer, and myself. We will also rehearse closely with the orchestra to ensure the final performance feels cohesive and authentic. Throughout, we remain mindful of the poets’ emotional wellbeing, safety, and comfort – some choose to remain anonymous or perform off-stage. It’s an intricate, human process – slow, sometimes messy, but incredibly rewarding.
In your view, what can music express about the refugee experience that words alone might not fully capture?
It’s often said that music is a universal language and there’s a lot of truth to that statement. Music engages our emotions, intellect, and whole being in a way that words alone often can’t. The stories we help amplify are ones in which a wide array of human emotions are at play – from grief over lost loved ones and anger at those who caused harm, to the hope and joy that come with imagining a safer future. Music has unique power to hold and express all of that.
Much like food, music helps build bridges of understanding between people who might otherwise struggle to relate to one another. In a live performance setting, music invites audience members to slow down, listen more deeply, and reflect on complex issues in an unhurried and open way.
How do you hope audiences will be changed or challenged by this performance — both emotionally and socially?
I hope our audience leaves with a deeper understanding of who refugees really are – not abstract figures, but people with talent, courage, and rich inner lives. For many, this will be their first direct encounter with someone who has sought asylum.
We also want audience members to step into the shoes of these refugees, if only for a few moments, so they carry that insight into future conversations around refugee policy. Empathy can be a quiet but powerful force for change.
Can you share a moment during the development of this concert that particularly moved or surprised you?
Rather than a single moment, it’s been a series of deeply meaningful ones: reading the first drafts of poems, hearing them set to music for the first time, or watching footage from the new short films we’ve commissioned. These moments remind me of the emotional weight this work carries – and how profoundly moving it is to witness refugee artists expressing themselves.
Why was The Four Seasons Recomposed the right musical companion to these stories, and how does it take on new meaning in this context?
Max Richter’s Vivaldi Recomposed is emotionally rich, cinematic, and evocative – qualities that make it ideal for storytelling. We’ve commissioned four short, silent films to accompany four of the twelve movements, each inspired by refugee experiences of the seasons – as metaphors, memories, and as part of the physical journey to the UK.
For some, the seasons represent survival; for others, a sense of dislocation or first-time wonder. In this context, the music becomes a canvas for those layered meanings. Whether it was the right choice is something we invite the audience members to decide for themselves – and we hope lots of people will join us to find out.