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THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS

A MOVEMENT-DRIVEN A CAPPELLA ORATORIO

SAT JAN 30, 2027 AT 8PM

“Elegantly staged and choreographed” — The Los Angeles Times

“An outstanding theatrical experience” — The LA Dance Chronicle

Prepare to be transported by voice, by movement, and by the timeless power of story.

Embark on a breathtaking spiritual odyssey with The Conference of the Birds, inspired by the 12th-century masterpiece by Farid ud-Din Attar. Composed by Fahad Siadat, with a libretto by Sholeh Wolpé and directed and choreographed by André Megerdichian, this stunning new work reimagines Attar’s epic poem as a powerful, movement-driven theatrical experience.

In this allegorical tale, the birds of the world set out in search of their sovereign, the mythical Simurgh. Their quest leads them through the Seven Valleys, including Love, Knowledge, Detachment, and Unity, each representing a stage on the soul’s path toward enlightenment. Along the way, embedded parables unfold like jewels within the larger story, illuminating the universal longings, doubts, and revelations that define the human spiritual journey.

Unlike traditional oratorios, this production is entirely a cappella. Serving as narrator, character, and orchestra all at once, the ensemble employs an astonishing range of extended vocal techniques to create a lush, immersive soundscape. Through voice and movement alone, the performers conjure deserts, storms, and moments of ecstatic revelation, embodying the birds as they traverse trials of ego, fear, and faith.

At once intimate and epic, ancient and strikingly contemporary, The Conference of the Birds transcends religious boundaries to celebrate the shared values at the heart of spiritual traditions worldwide. It is a theatrical meditation on unity, self-discovery, and the courage required to seek the Divine.

About Fahad Siadat

Fahad Siadat (Composer/Director). A “fanciful and downright utopian artist and thinker” (Los Angeles Times), Fahad Siadat explores sound as spiritual practice, creating interdisciplinary pieces as vehicles for unveiling the mystery of our interconnected world. His music has been described as “evoking wonder, desire, and terror” (Off Broadway), with narratives that “border on being a spiritual journey” (LA Dance Chronicle). His work has been presented by the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The BroadStage, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Fahad is the director of the Resonance Collective, a multifaceted organization that explores and expands our definition of sacred music. He is also the director and singing member of LA’s premier new music vocal ensemble, HEX, an award-winning sextet described by the Los Angeles Times as “a luminous ensemble of singers.”

Fahad maintains a robust performing and recording schedule and has performed as a soloist with such groups as LA’s groundbreaking opera company The Industry and the Grammy Award-winning ensemble PARTCH, as well as on recordings for artists such as Daniel Lentz and WildUp.

Fahad is regularly commissioned to compose for concert music ensembles, dance companies, and theater troupes, including Theater Dybbuk, Rosanna Gamson Dance, Monmouth University, Jacksonville Dance Theater, the California EAR Unit, and the TOCCATA Orchestra. His music has been performed in Europe, China, and across the United States.

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About Sholeh Wolpé

Sholeh Wolpé (Librettist) is an Iranian-American poet, playwright, and librettist. Named a “2020–2021 Cultural Trailblazer” by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, her literary work includes five collections of poetry, several plays, three books of translations, and three anthologies. Her most recent publications include Abacus of Loss: A Memoir in Verse (University of Arkansas Press, March 2022), The Conference of the Birds (W. W. Norton & Co.), Sin: Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad (University of Arkansas Press), Cómo escribir una canción de amor (Olifante Ediciones de Poesia, Spain), and Keeping Time with Blue Hyacinths (University of Arkansas Press).

Sholeh is the recipient of a 2014 PEN Heim Award, the 2013 Midwest Book Award, and the 2010 Lois Roth Persian Translation Prize, as well as artist fellowships and residencies in the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Australia, and Switzerland. Sholeh’s plays have been finalists and semifinalists at the Bay Area Playwrights Festival, Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference, Centenary Stage Women Playwrights, Ojai New Plays Festival, and Ashland New Plays Festival. Her play Let Me In is one of Theaterfolks’ top ten plays requested by schools, and her play SHAME is featured in a new collection of plays by voices of Iranian heritage.

Sholeh has performed her literary work with world-renowned musicians at the Quincy Jones Presents series at The Edye, The BroadStage, Skirball Cultural Center Series, Los Angeles Aloud, The Broad Museum, the LA County Museum of Art Ahmanson Stage, Singapore Literature Festival, UNSW School of Arts and Media Theatre, and other venues.

Sholeh travels internationally as a performing poet, writer, and public speaker. She has lived in Iran, Trinidad, and the UK and presently lives in Los Angeles and Barcelona. She is a Writer-in-Residence at the University of California, Irvine.

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About André Megerdichian

André Megerdichian (Choreographer) performed professionally with such companies and choreographers as the Limón Dance Company, Janis Brenner and Dancers, The Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, Soundance Repertory Company, Reidel Dance Theatre, Daniel Charon, Seán Curran, and Dance Kaleidoscope. An Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina, he has also served as a faculty member at the Duncan Center Conservatory in Prague, Czech Republic; the Limón Institute in New York City; and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, among others. In addition, he regularly teaches workshops and master classes throughout the United States, Europe, and China.

André’s work has been commissioned by numerous universities, festivals, and dance institutions throughout the United States. Internationally, he collaborated with Czech physical theater director Petr Hudecek and co-choreographer/performer Jennifer Deckert in the creation of the evening-length duet Kiss Romeo Bang! Juliet, which premiered at the Alta Theatre in Prague, Czech Republic. He choreographed for the Opening Ceremony of the Corpus Christi Annual Commemorative Run, presented by Prague Castle, and was commissioned by the Painted Lights Dance Project to create Moving Light, an evening-length work that premiered at the Statkino Theatre in Salzburg, Austria. His work is rooted in the humanistic, highly physical explorations of modern dance traditions while exploring the diverse tensions and curiosities of today.

With composer Fahad Siadat, André co-founded The Resonance Collective, an interdisciplinary, project-based company that cross-pollinates the aesthetic, formal, creative, and performative aspects of multiple genres. Since then, they have created three evening-length works: Saharava, a ritualized dance-opera; The Moon Has Made Us Brothers; and 13 Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, in addition to works presented throughout the NYC area.

Raised in Beirut, Lebanon; Athens, Greece; and Geneva, Switzerland, André holds a BFA from Butler University and an MFA in Choreography from the California Institute of the Arts.