stands for music that engages with contemporary life, society  and reality in all their facets. In cooperation with other art forms,  the ensemble observes, explores and interprets the world around  us: people, events, nature, technology, and both the ordinary and  the absurd aspects of contemporary life. Zafraan is known for its  dramaturgically conceived programmes, as well as staged concerts and immersive formats that combine music with theatre,  performance, installation and dance.

The ensemble marked its tenth anniversary with collaborative  concerts alongside groups such as L’Itinéraire, Court-Circuit and  KNM Berlin. From September 2020 to October 2021, it presented  a ten-part concert series featuring landmark Berlin premieres  since Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire, placing them in a new  artistic context. In 2024, the card game LOGBOOK, developed  in cooperation with François Sarhan, was released and has since  become one of the ensemble’s signature projects. Since 2023,  the ensemble has presented its On the Road series at Dock 11,  where the musicians perform their favourite works.

In 2025, the ensemble made its debut at the Skirball Center in  New York with Rimini Protokoll, gave workshops at renowned  universities in Boston, and performed Cabinet of Folksongs in  the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonie. In 2026,  Zafraan Ensemble will present anniversary concerts marking Iris  ter Schiphorst’s 70th birthday in Bremen, Oldenburg, Munich  and Bamberg; organise a festival in her honour at Alte Münze  Berlin; perform at the Ultima Festival in Oslo, Warsaw Autumn,  Güldener Herbst, and Rainy Days in Luxembourg, and appear as  the guest ensemble at Festival Ensemble(s) in Paris.