A Night in Persia

Voices of Sepharad

Voices of Sepharad presents “A Night in Persia,” featuring vocal and instrumental music from the classical Persian repertoire in honor of the Iranian New Year, Persian Jewish cantillation of the scroll of Esther, and Sephardic songs to celebrate the jubilant holiday of Purim.

Performers include David Jordan Harris, vocalist and Artistic Director of Voices of Sepharad; David Burk, veteran member of the ensemble playing ‘ud and saz; Aida Shahghasemi, a rising singer and percussionist currently based in Tehran, and Amirhossein Kiani playing tar.

Voices of Sepharad explores in song, dance, theater, film, and folktale a stunning Jewish cultural tradition that originated in medieval Spain (Sepharad in Hebrew). Graceful, fiery, and elegant, the melodies and their archaic Judeo-Spanish dialect were sung throughout the Mediterranean world, where Jews resettled after their expulsion from Spain in 1492. The Jews of North Africa and the Middle East lived with Muslim and Christian neighbors for centuries, creating an entwined cultural life that promoted neighborliness and fruitful co-existence. This story and these voices demand a hearing in the fractious world we live in today.

Location:

Chapel

Schedule:

Saturday, March 7, 8:30 pm
Sunday, March 8, 4:00 pm

Intended Audience:

Adults and Teens

Performance Genre(s):

World Premiere, Music, Singing, Storytelling

Running Time:

55 minutes

Special Note: David Jordan Harris will also lead a workshop, “Building Artistic Relationships Across Cultural Boundaries,” with Saudi visual artist Hend Al-Mansour on Sunday, March 1, 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. They’ll discuss best practices in cross-cultural dialogue and what can make well-intentioned collaborators fall short of their goals.

This project was made possible in part with the support of Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council, an initiative of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation.

Contact:

David Jordan Harris
Email: david@voicesofsepharad.com
Phone: 651-227-2583
Website: www.voicesofsepharad.com

Cast Bio(s):

David Jordan Harris has pursued study and performance of Sephardic music throughout North America, Greece, Israel, France, Turkey, Poland, Bosnia, Spain, and Morocco. He has received numerous awards supporting his fieldwork and performances. He co-founded Voices of Sepharad in 1986 with dancer Judith Brin Ingber.

David Burk has performed with Voices of Sepharad since 1998. He has worked with Armenian accordion virtuoso Valeriy Saakian, Persian singer Sattar, and the Twin Cities’ Persian ensemble Roboyat.

Aida Shahghasemi is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. She learned the Iranian percussion instruments daf and tombak from master Amir Samadi and has studied classical Persian vocal repertoire with Madame Parissa.

Amirhossein Kiani is a student at the University of Minnesota. He is a native of Isfahan, Iran, where he began his study of tar at age thirteen.

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