Noruz Festival
30 Mar – 01 Apr
30 Mar – 01 Apr
The doors of the Grand Auditorium will be thrown open for a cultural exchange that aims to shorten distances, with three concerts dedicated to Middle-Eastern music and artists from Iran, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan.
Considered as the New Year’s day for the people of the Caucasus, Central Asia and the Middle East, Noruz was designated an example of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2009. It is celebrated on the spring equinox and keeps a millenary cultural legacy alive.
Strongly represented in local food and music, this feast’s origin is, according to the Persian poet Ferdowsi, credited to the mythical King Jamshid and is one of the few folk traditions that have survived wars and profound social change over the centuries. It is therefore an event which links an entire region to its past and constitutes a beacon of identity.
Farnaz Modarresifar and Ariana Vafadari Traditional Persian Music
Farnaz Modarresifar’s virtuoso talents and work as a composer have combined to influence each other mutually around Persian scales and her research on timbre. Ariana Vafadari presents her project Gathas, Songs My Father Taught Me, which symbolizes the singer and composer’s intimate connection with her Persian cultural and philosophical roots.
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Homayoun Sakhi and guests
Traditional Afghan Music
Singer and composer Homayoun Sakhi personifies the renewal of classical and traditional Afghan music, developing his own musical style by reinterpreting the classical repertoire in a unique way and giving it a new impulse through improvisation.
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Yulduz Turdieva Ensemble
Traditional Uzbek Music
Yulduz Turdieva grew up in the musical milieu of Bukhara where, as a child, she sang at local festivals. Her vocal talents allowed her to tackle a broader repertoire that extended from Uzbeki traditions to Persian and Turkish music, being considered a true diva today.
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