Rumi at 800: Persian National Music Ensemble

Persian National Music Ensemble

This five-member ensemble from Baltimore recites Rumi's poetry in English, tells famous stories about the mystic-poet, and then performs his poems in Persian, accompanied by santur (hammered dulcimer), tar (lute), violin, and percussion. Director and composer Ahmad Borhani taught music at Ferdowsi University in Iran and is a specialist on the life and poetry of Rumi.

Part of Rumi at 800, a day of music, poetry, special tours, and Persian and Turkish food celebrating the eight-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the poet and mystic Mevlana Jalal-ad-Din Rumi.

October 27, 2007 (Saturday) 3:30 P.M., Meyer Auditorium

Rumi at 800: Kazen Davoudian

Poetry in Song:
Rumi's Mystical Journey

Experience the mystical mood of a traditional Sufi assembly with Kazem Davoudian, the Iranian-born composer and virtuoso on the Persian santur (hammered dulcimer). He has appeared as solo performer and conductor at Wolftrap, the George Washington Masonic Temple, and the Kennedy Center. He is joined by the Afghan-born vocalist and harmonium virtuoso, Humayun Khan, a disciple of the legendary Ustad Vilayat Khan, blending north Indian ragas with Persian Sufi ghazals; vocalist Lida Saeedian, who has performed throughout the United States; and percussionist Behfar Bahadoran.

Part of Rumi at 800, a day of music, poetry, special tours, and Persian and Turkish food celebrating the eight-hundredth anniversary of the birth of the poet and mystic Mevlana Jalal-ad-Din Rumi.

October 27, 2007 (Saturday) 12:00 P.M., Meyer Auditorium

Bijan Mortazavi and Shadmehr Aghili

Bijan Mortazavi and Shadmehr Aghili



October 20, 2007 (Saturday) - 7:30 P.M. at Lisner Auditorium

Tickets

(DCPersian.com)

Rojan with Shams Ensemble

Rojan performs with the Shams Ensemble.

Performers:

• Tahmoures Pournazeri, oud
• Sohrab Pournazeri, kemancheh
• Hamidreza Taghavi, santour
• Hajar Zahavi, daf
• Shahab Paranj, tombak

Tour: San Diego, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, New York, San Francisco, Boston, Washington.

Video:



Produced by AKO Production.

Tickets: $35, $45 -- call (703) 517-4343

Venue: Marshall High School Auditorium (7731 Leesburge Pike, Falls Church, VA 22043)

Eid Mubarak

Guity Adjoodani: University of Baltimore

Guity Adjoodani performs an evening of Beethoven, Chopin, Gershwin and several Persian composers.

Tickets: $20 general admission and $10 for students and seniors, available at the door, online at www.etix.com

October 6, 2007 (Saturday) @ 7:30 P.M. at the Student Center Theater of the University of Baltimore

Library of Congress: Dhafer Youssef

Tunisian-born singer and oud virtuoso Dhafer Youssef draws on the evocative music of his Islamic heritage, melding Arabic music with electronica, acoustic funk and jazz-influenced improvisation. With The Divine Shadows String Quartet and percussionist Satoshi Takeishi.

Co-sponsored by the Embassy of Austria.

October 4, 2007 (Thursday) - 8:00 P.M. in the Coolidge Auditorium of the Library of Congress (ground floor, Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First Street, S.E.)