FEB 18th – World Music Institute presents Masters of Persian Music – 3 Generations

Thur, Feb 18, 2010 8pm

World Music Institute presents Masters of Persian Music – 3 Generations

Hossein Alizadeh, Kayhan Kalhor & Hamid Reza Norbakhsh

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Skirball Center for the Performing Arts at NYU
566 LaGuardia Place
Washington Square South, NYC
BUY TIX HERE https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pe/7432075

Promotional support by Persian Arts Festival

This program features three important figures in classical Persian music: tar (long-necked lute) maestro Hossein Alizadeh; Kayhan Kalhor, a virtuoso of the kamancheh (spike-fiddle) who has been instrumental in popularizing Persian music in the West through his solo concerts and work with Ghazal and Yo-Yo Maís Silk Road Project; and Hamid Reza Nourbakhsh, a student of Mohammad Reza Shajarian and one of the finest Iranian vocalists today. Their program features new works drawing on Persian classical music and ancient Sufi and contemporary poetry.
This program is supported in part by American Express.

Tickets $30, $40
WMI Friends $25, $35 (Join WMI for savings and best seats!)
Students $18

For more info: http://wminyc.org/event.php?id=917
 Phone: 212-545-7536

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January 27, 2010|All|Comments Off

“She Speaks Greek Farsi” Opening Reception – by Aphrodite Desiree Navab

Desiree

Date
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Time:
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Location:
Soho20 Chelsea Gallery: 547 W 27th St., Suite 301, NYC

Soho20 Chelsea is pleased to announce an exhibition of new work by Aphrodite Désirée Navab (b. 1971, Iran). She Speaks Greek Farsi opens with a reception for the artist on Thursday, February 4, 2010 from 6-8 pm and will be on view until February 27th.

In this photographic performance series, Navab’s abdomen serves as the site of performing language. An expression in Greek, to speak any language in a “Farsi way”, is a comment on how fluent and well someone speaks that language. So to speak “Greek Farsi” or “English Farsi” is to speak Greek or English well.

From the concrete world of her embodied experience, language is abstracted. At once personal and universal, private and public, Navab writes words on her skin from the flesh of her own tri-cultural heritage. Words whose meanings, however, hold great potency for anyone who has had to relocate and emigrate: family, place, language, love, friend, birth, land, home, person, history, life, memory, body, self, and world. These fifteen concepts were chosen as the most re-defined issues in her life’s transitions and translations from Iran, to Greece, to the United States of America. Navab writes and erases on her belly, building a memory of marks, and ritually re-enacting the erasure and the re-membering brought on by forced migration.

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January 26, 2010|All, Arts, Events, Recommended|Comments Off

Jan 30th – Global Music Double Fundraiser: PAF Board Member, Fabian Alsultany and Doctors Without Borders @ LPR


Your donations will directly support all of Fabian’s cancer recovery and alternative wellness treatments that his health insurance is not covering. In addition funds raised will also be donation to Doctors Without Borders in Fabian’s name to support relief efforts in Haiti. http://www.upriseworks.com/donate.html

fundraiser

Please join us for a party in support of the health, wellness and recovery of our good friend Fabian Alsultany (GlobeSonic Sound System, Persian Arts Festival Board Member & Inspirational Force).

Live performances by: Hassan Hakmoun & Zahar, Falu, Basya Schechter (Pharaoh’s Daughter). Luqmon Brown (Funkface), Malika Zarra and Haale.
DJ sets by: Bill Bragin & Amon

Musicans: Jamshied Sharifi, Damon Banks, Brahim Fribgane, Mark Copley, Rajeev Maddela, Harvey Wight, Gwen Laster, Benefo Benefo, Manu Koch, Ron McBee and very special guests.

Saturday January 30th, 2010
11 PM – 4 AM
(Le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleecker Street
New York City
(212) 228-4854
Tickets: $12 (advance/door)
http://www.lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/946

Proceeds from this event will directly raise funds in Fabian’s name for “Doctors Without Borders” towards their relief efforts in Haiti.

Persian Arts Festival is proud to support this event, our great friend Fabian Alsultany and relief efforts in Haiti.  Fabian is a powerful force in the music industry and a gift to bridging world culture in his expansive work.  Fabian was instrumental in starting the Persian Arts Festival in 2005 as we embarked on sharing Persian art and culture with our community here in the NYC area and around the globe.  A PAF board member since 2005, Fabian has tirelessly provided his input, continued support and inspiration to PAF, for which we are eternally grateful.  It is our honor to provide similar support for him in his time of need as he deals with a life-changing health issue.  You can read more about Fabian’s experience on his blog, http://alsultany32.blogspot.com/

Don’t miss this incredible event on Jan 30th that features a number of infinitely talented musicians for an affordable price that goes to support two great causes, our dear friend and colleague Fabian Alsultany as well as Doctors Without Borders, who is currently performing relief efforts in the earthquake torn region of Haiti.

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Thanks for your support.

Sincerely,

Mona Kayhan, President and Founder

Angela Huffstutler, Executive Director and Co-Founder

Persian Arts Festival

http://persianartsfestival.org

graciemansion

From left: Angela Huffstutler, Fabian Alsultany, Mona Kayhan @ Gracie Mansion.

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January 25, 2010|All|Comments Off

PAF PRESENTS Shab-e She’r Featuring Aida Shahghasemi and Shabnam Piryaei, Feb. 17th 6 pm!

Please join us for our next Persian Poetry Night that will infuse poetry with music on Wednesday, February 17th at 6 pm!!

Aida SAida Shahghasemi, currently a graduate student in Art and Public Policy at NYU, was born in Iran and moved to the States in July of 2000. She is thankful to her teacher, Amir Samadi, one of the late Mirza Agha Ghowsi’s pupils for learning to play Daf, a traditional Kurdish instrument. Aida has also had the privilege of studying the Iranian Classical vocal repertoire with Parissa by traveling back and forth between Iran and U.S. She has worked with a number of different ensembles over the past five years and is one of the founders of Iran’s House of Art student organization at the University of Minnesota where she completed her bachelors degree in Psychology and Anthropology. She is currently working with the Simorq foundation (please check out at www.simorq.org) hoping to bring an original musical representation of Ferdowsi’s Shah’nameh to the States.

shabnamSmallersmallShabnam Piryaei was born in Iran and raised in the U.S.  Her work has been published in several journals including The Florida Review, Runes: A Review of Poetry, Flashquake, and The Furnace Review.  She has been awarded the Poets & Writers Amy Award for poetry, as well as the Elizabeth George Foundation grant.  Her collection of writing entitled “Ode to Fragile” is forthcoming.  Currently she is developing three short films based on material from the book.

An open mic will follow the reading, inviting everyone to read either his or her own poetry or works by other poets, in Persian or English, bearing some connection to Iran or Iranian/Persian culture.

Be sure to join us for this rare event!  This event will be streamed LIVE at www.bowerypoetry.com!

Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery, NYC 10012
Nearest subway is the 2nd Avenue F train or also close is the 6 train at Bleeker.

Persian Arts Festival (PAF) has successfully revived Shab-e She’r, A Night of (Persian) Poetry, at the Bowery Poetry Club (BPC) but with a modern, new generational spin. The program has made its comeback and expanded what tends to be a very classical Persian tradition to feature modern works of literature, ranging from fictional novels to memoirs. Entering into its third season, PAF and BPC continue to host readings of well-established and emerging authors who are of Persian descent or specialize in Persian literature. Readers have included Nahid Rachlin, Manijeh Nasrabadi and Joe Martin to name a few.

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January 23, 2010|All, Events, Literary|Comments Off

JAN 21st 7pm – PAF Presents: Monika Jalili @ LPR in NYC

Jalili

PAF Presents Monika Jalili in concert with special guests Jamshied Sharifi and Hassan Hakmoun

Thu., January 21, 2010 / 7:00 PM

Debuting her long-awaited second release, Elan, in NYC, audiences will be mesmerized by a collection of poignant and beautiful Iranian/Persian songs and Jalili’s eminently beautiful voice; a full and rich soprano that caresses each note with its texture and tone.  She will be accompanied by well-known musicians, Jamshied Sharifi and Hassan Hakmoun.  This concert is not to be missed.  A magical night w/ sounds from Iran, Africa and beyond.  You can buy a copy of Elan here http://www.monikajalili.com/buy/purchaseCD2.php

Doors Open: 7:00 PM
Show Time: 8:00 PM
$15

(le) Poisson Rouge
158 Bleeker Street
New York, NY 10012

GET YOUR TIX NOW http://lepoissonrouge.com/events/view/802

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January 20, 2010|All|Comments Off

JAN 20th 6pm – PAF’s Shab-e She’r feat. Dalia Sofer

DaliaSoferThis month’s Shab-e She’r series will feature Dalia Sofer. Born in Tehran, Iran and raised in a Jewish family during revolutionary Iran, Dalia Sofer eventually moved to New York City when she was 11. She attended the Lycée Français de New York, and went on to study French Literature at NYU with a minor in creative writing. She received an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. Her first novel, The Septembers of Shiraz, was published in 2007, to critical acclaim.

An open mic will follow the reading, inviting everyone to read either his or her own poetry or works by other poets, in Persian or English, bearing some connection to Iran or Iranian/Persian culture.

Be sure to join us for this rare event!  This event will be streamed LIVE at www.bowerypoetry.com!

Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery, NYC 10012
Nearest subway is the 2nd Avenue F train or also close is the 6 train at Bleeker.


Persian Arts Festival (PAF) has successfully revived Shab-e She’r, A Night of (Persian) Poetry, at the Bowery Poetry Club (BPC) but with a modern, new generational spin. The program has made its comeback and expanded what tends to be a very classical Persian tradition to feature modern works of literature, ranging from fictional novels to memoirs. Entering into its third season, PAF and BPC continue to host readings of well-established and emerging authors who are of Persian descent or specialize in Persian literature. Readers have included Nahid Rachlin, Manijeh Nasrabadi and Joe Martin to name a few.

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January 19, 2010|All, Literary|Comments Off

JAN 16th 2pm – PAF Presents: Golbang, Persian-Swedish Music

golbang-grupp-535

Saturday, Jan. 16th, 2:00 – 3:30 pm

PAF Presents: Golbang

$6 sugg donation
Bowery Poetry Club

East meets West in unique fusion of Persian-Swedish folk/improv

Golbang’s unique sound echoes the backgrounds of its 8 members.  Experience the percussive power of Finnish and Mozambican drummers with the resonance of the Turkish qanun (78-strings, 261-keys), a saucy sax, distinctive keyboards, and haunting vocals. You will dance. During its 15 years, Golbang has become an increasingly influential mover on the Scandinavian world music scene. A recent review states, “Golbang belongs to the small elite group of high-class bands that raise the genre….”

Be sure to join us for this rare event!  This event will be streamed LIVE at www.bowerypoetry.com!

Bowery Poetry Club
308 Bowery, NYC 10012
Nearest subway is the 2nd Avenue F train or also close is the 6 train at Bleeker.

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January 12, 2010|All|Comments Off