Abiding Ensemble was formed in Jerusalem in 2001 to celebrate and commemorate the 100th birthday of the Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet.

The Abiding Ensemble made its highly acclaimed debut at the Israeli International Festival where they paid homage to Hikmet's poetry and art, which inspired his generation.

Nazim Hikmet was born in Salonica in 1902 and died in Moscow in 1963, and is considered the greatest poet of modern day Turkey. He was a fighter-poet who held idealistic-communist convictions, and paid the price of persecution, imprisonment and exile.

In "From The Day I Was Tossed Here", the ensemble presents Hikmet's poetry put to music by Turkish composer Erdem Buri (1923-1993) and by Yaghi Malka. Buri's works are sung in the original Turkish, Malka's works were especially translated for this show, and are sung for the first time in Hebrew.

The Abiding Ensemble is made up of four musicians: female vocalist Victoria Serruya, cellist Yaghi Malka, double bass player Ehud Gerlich and percussionist Oren Fried.

Their diverse range of musical sources and experiences, ranging from Western classical to jazz and ethnic music, has created a unique fusion of sound and form.
The unique instrumentation of the ensemble has given birth to special and distinct textures of sound.

Victoria Serruya / Vocals
Born in Casablanca, Morocco. Studied acting at the Beit Zvi school of Performing Arts. Participated in five production of the Acco Theatre Center. Participated in the Puppet Festival in Jerusalem, the Acco Festival of Alternative Theatre and the Israel Festival. Currently teaches Tai Chi, Chi King. Studies music at the Jerusalem Center for Classical Oriental Music and with the singer Cilla Grossmayer.

Yaghi Malka / Cello
Born in Jerusalem, Israel. Started music studies at the age of six. Studied in Jerusalem and Paris with Sam Lovett, Radu Aldulescu and Michael Haran. Recipient of grants from the Sharet Foundation and the French government. Graduate of the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. Served as a cellist in the IDF string quartet. Has appeared in various chamber ensembles in Israel and abroad. A member of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra.

Ehud Gerlich / Double Bass
Born in Israel. Graduate of Tel-Aviv Academy of Music, where he studied double bass with Gavriel Volle of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra. Has played with the Haifa and Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. Plays in various jazz, pop and ethnic music ensembles.

Oren Fried / Percussion
Drummer and percussionist Oren Fried has worked with a wide range of ensembles and repertoires - from latin and jazz to traditional ethnic. His particular emphasis has been on the Jewish musical heritage. Has been collaborating with Esty Kenan Ofri and Armond Sabach as the "Kol-Oud" duo and as the "Kol-Oud-Tof" trio (the album 'Gazelle' which was also released at MAGDA). He also performs and records with artists Ilana Eliya, Mandy Kahan and Ofer Calaf.

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