Islamic Oratorio and Christian Psalms: An Evening of Contemplation

Bring a day of art, poetry, and music to a peaceful close with an evening of meditative song in the Pembroke Chapel. The Pembroke College Choir, directed by Luke Fitzgerald and in collaboration with the first composer of Islamic oratorio, Dr Wietske Merison, will offer a contemplative sung performance, unaccompanied by instruments. Featuring pieces from the Old Testament, New Testament, and Wietske Merison's composition of Islamic prayer from the hadith tradition. Experience for the first time the well-established choir tradition of Cambridge engages with Islamic oratorio. About Wietske Merison Wietske Merison is a Dutch composer, singer and interdisciplinary scholar based in the United Kingdom, whose sacred choral music brings Islamic spiritual traditions into conversation with the Western choral tradition. She has composed more than forty choral works and released two studio albums, Witness and Reminder. Her recent works include Mercy, an Islamic oratorio exploring the life and message of the Prophet Muhammad, and Prayer of Light, which draws on a supplication for divine light attributed to the Prophet. About The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts The Cambridge Festival of Islamic Arts runs from 19 to 29 November 2026, bringing performances, exhibitions, lectures, and workshops to Cambridge's historic colleges, museums, and cultural spaces. Open to everyone, the festival celebrates the beauty and diversity of Islamic arts, and, fifty years on from the landmark 1976 World of Islam Festival, carries that spirit into our own time. Find out more at cfia.co.uk.