Omnisutra

Omnisutra was formed in 2013 and has performed at festivals, in private recitals, and at spiritual centres in the ten years since. Under the leadership of Gavin Shri Amneon, Omnisutra has released a total of 18 albums comprising ancient Holy songs recreated in a multitude of languages including : Ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Ge’ez (Ethiopian), Japanese, Arabic and Coptic. In its current incarnation Omnisutra comprises Gavin Shri Amneon on vocals, percussion and shruti box; Michael Green on bass and soprano clarinets, and Aulos; and Will Thompson on bouzouki and oud.

The ancient works which inspire Omnisutra are often described in the literature as poetry, although they were often more ‘sung’ than recited. In the original rendition these works typically included a musical accompaniment, and in addition often featured dance or performance. In its reworking of these ancient texts Omnisutra seeks to breathe life into the soundscape through careful attention to the text and to what we know of the musical structures of the time, although it is often impossible to attain any degree of certainty as to the precise ‘sounds’ of the original work beyond the instruments that may have accompanied it, and an often rudimentary understanding of the musical structures of the time.

The original performances which inspire Omnisutra were often featured in ceremony and ritual and thus sought to evoke within the audience and performers a sense of the numinous. At the same time they needed to hold the attention of the audience through the presentation of a musical structure familiar to the listener. In mixing the old with the new Omnisutra strives to create this same balance within a framework of honour to the origins of the work.