Conference of the Birds
Farhang Foundation and The Broad Stage
Present
THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS
World Premiere
June 18 and 19, 2022
A Resonance Collective production
Fahad Siadat, Composer
Sholeh Wolpé, Librettist
André Megerdichian, Director, Choreographer
PERFORMANCE IN ENGLISH
This world premiere, semi-staged oratorio is based on Sufi mystic poet Attar’s seminal text about the journey of the soul as it seeks union with the Divine. Featuring an a capella choir and seven soloists acting narratively and orchestrally, accompanied by a dancer.
"We are the birds in the story. All of us have our own ideas and ideals, our own fears and anxieties, as we hold on to our own version of the truth. Like the birds of this story, we may take flight together, but the journey itself will be different for each of us. Attar tells us that truth is not static, and that we each tread a path according to our own capacity. It evolves as we evolve. Those who are trapped within their own dogma, clinging to hardened beliefs or faith, are deprived of the journey toward the unfathomable Divine, which Attar calls the Great Ocean." — Sholeh Wolpé, librettist
About Sholeh Wolpé
Sholeh Wolpé is a poet and playwright. Named a “2020-2021 Cultural Trailblazer” by the City of Los Angeles, Sholeh’s literary work numbers over twelve books and several plays. Her most recent book is The Conference of the Birds (W. W. Norton.) Sholeh has performed her literary work with musicians in Singapore, India, U.S., Bali and Australia. Her awards include a PEN Heim, Midwest Book Award, and Lois Roth Persian Translation prize; and her plays have been finalists or semi-finalists at Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Centenary Stage Women Playwrights, and Ashland New Plays Festival. Presently she is the Author-in-Residence at UCI. Website: sholehwolpe.com
About Fahad Siadat
Fahad Siadat is an advocate of innovative and adventurous music and approaches this advocacy as a performer, composer, conductor and entrepreneur. He has performed as soloist with LA’s groundbreaking opera company The Industry, PARTCH, and the Twilight Orchestra. As a composer, his music has been performed in Europe, China, and across the United States.
Fahad is artistic director of HEX Vocal Ensemble and is co-artistic director of The Resonance Collective. He has conducted choirs at Columbia University, CalArts, and Chaffey College. In 2012, he founded See-A-Dot Music Publishing, a company devoted to the advocacy of adventurous choral music. fahadsiadat.com
About André Megerdichian
André Megerdichian has worked with such companies as the Limón Dance Company, Dance Kaleidoscope, The Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, and Janis Brenner and Dancers, among others. He has served as a faculty member at The Limón Institute (NYC), the Duncan Center Conservatory in Prague Czech Republic, created choreography and taught master classes and workshops, throughout the United States, Europe, and China. An assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina and Co-Artistic Director of The Resonance Collective, his work is rooted in the humanistic, highly physical, explorations of modern dance traditions while exploring the diverse tensions and curiosities of today.
Event Details
| Event Starts | 06/18/2022 |
| Event Ends | 06/19/2022 |
| Individual Price | $60/$45/$35 |
| Location | The Broad Stage |
