ST. LOUIS, MO - In a musical and poetic celebration of art and culture, "Faces of Love From Iran: We are God's Music" will bring world-renowned Persian musician Hossein Omoumi to the St. Louis stage. Gitana Productions, Inc. will sponsor "Faces of Love From Iran: We are God's Music" on Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 8 p.m. at the Ethical Society of St. Louis, 9001 Clayton Road.
A native of Isfahan, Iran, Omoumi is heralded as the best ney player in the world. The ney is a traditional Persian reed flute which Omoumi began playing as a teenager and later studied at the National Conservatory of Music in Tehran. A renowned scholar and teacher of Persian music, he has toured Europe and the United States. An ensemble of rising stars in international music will join Omoumi to present traditional Persian music.
The London Independent heralded Omoumi as "the best ney-player in the world." The Montreal Gazette wrote "Omoumi has the kind of stage presence that demands reverence...and for good reason. Omoumi's playing was transparent at times, breathy at others, with an astounding range of dynamics and articulation...The effect was transfixing."
"One of the greatest ways to learn about a different culture, its people and practices, triumphs and tragedies, is through its music and poetry," said Cecilia Nadal, executive producer of Gitana Productions, Inc. "We have such fixed ideas about the Middle East that we often don't understand the depth and beauty of the culture in that portion of the world."
The "Faces of Love" series is produced annually by Gitana Productions and focuses on a different region of the world each year, with the goal of bringing cultures together through art. "Faces of Love from Iran" is the 11th event in the series.
Poetry by the famed Persian poet Rumi will be read at the event by Fatemeh Keshavarz, a native of Iran and the chair of the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures at Washington University in St. Louis. Keshavarz has authored several books including one on the poetry of Rumi, who was born in what is present day Afghanistan. Rumi is considered one of the greatest poets, philosophers and scholars of the Islamic civilization, and 800 years after his birth, is the world's best-selling poet.
Keshavarz spoke at the UN General Assembly in May 2007 on the broader implications of cultural education for world peace. She also was featured in an hour-long episode of the National Public Radio show "Speaking of Faith." The episode, "The Ecstatic Faith of Rumi," received the Peabody Award in April 2008. Keshavarz was most recently awarded the 2008 Hershel Walker Peace & Justice Award by People's Weekly.
Tickets to "Faces of Love Iran" are $30 for regular admission, $45 for VIP admission which includes a private reception featuring Persian cuisine. Tickets may be purchased by calling 314-721-6556 or emailing gitana@stlouis.missouri.org.
The final event in the series "Faces of Love " will be an original play "My Heart Keeps Shaking" at St. Louis University from May 22 to June 9, 2009. The play will dramatize the experience of Afghan refugees and immigrants who have relocated to St. Louis, which currently is home to about 6,000 Iranians and 1,500 Afghans. The people of Afghanistan are related to many of the ethnic groups in neighboring Iran. Most Afghans are farmers, although a significant number followed a nomadic lifestyle before fleeing the country to become refugees in neighboring nations and abroad.
The Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council have provided funding to support the "Faces of Love From Iran and Afghanistan" events.
Gitana Productions, Inc. is a not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to increasing cross-cultural awareness and collaboration by bringing international music, dance and drama to the St. Louis community. Gitana events present a rarely seen diversity of international and local artists exhibiting an array of traditional and innovative artistic expressions. For more information, visit www.gitana-inc.org or call Gitana Productions at (314) 721-6556. |
