PROJECT THREE

An interactive film and music concert celebrating the Persian poet, scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic, Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī.

Join Vox Musica and their collaborating partner Parisa Soultani for an unforgettable evening celebrating the life and writings of Jalaluddin Rumi. This 13th century mystic from Khorasan (now northern Afghanistan) was a best-selling poet in the US for over a decade, in large part because he touches a deep vein of truth in people. The collaborative performance will include music, poetry, and imagery through film and choral music, including world premieres of pieces written for Vox Musica by Honiball Joseph, a prominent Iranian-Assyrian composer, and Dr. Kira Zeeman Rugen of Scottsdale, Arizona.

This unique project is produced in joint collaboration with One Through Love, a cinematic multi-lingual film project and companion website which uses the poetry of Rumi to inspire and build new connections and understandings. Co-directed and co-produced by Emmy Award Winning filmmaker Stephen Olsson and Iranian-American filmmaker, scholar of humanities, translator and multilingual TV host, Parisa Soultani, this project ignites the fire of eternal longing for peace in the hearts of its viewers. One Through Love is a convergence of ideas, people, teachers and technologies, in the hope of building a connection and dialogue that celebrates the spirit and power of Love and transcends some of the mistrust and separation between the Islamic world and the west.

The concert project will interweave this collection of short inspirational and educational films, highlighting the life of Rumi and the Sufi culture, with choral settings of Rumi’s poetry. The films and music together create a bridge by which western readers now can access a strong sense of Rumi’s transcendent message of unity consciousness and mystical anti-orthodoxy.

View the press release: [PDF] : [DOC]

Download the flyer: [PDF]

April 26, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Location: Beatnik Studios (723 S Street, Sacramento, CA, 95811)

April 27, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

Location: Verge Center for the Arts (625 S St, Sacramento, CA 95811)

April 28, 2019 @ 5:00 pm

Location: Beatnik Studios (723 S Street, Sacramento, CA, 95811)

Tickets

$20.00 (adult pre-sale)

$25.00 (adult at-the-door)

(Scroll down to purchase tickets)

Media

Film Maker & Co-Host

Parisa Soultani, from One Through Love

Parisa Soultani is co-producer, editor and host of One Through Love, the first cinematic multi-lingual web initiative focused on the teaching of Jalaluddin Rumi and his mentor Shams of Tabriz. With a focus on Divine Love as the central binding force of all creation, One Through Love brings together a growing, international group of knowledgeable Rumi “Lovers,” Sufi teachers, practitioners, dervishes, artists, and more for a unique journey into the heart of Rumi’s legacy. In this program, she will present excerpts from One Through Love.

 

She is a filmmaker and television host who has produced, directed and edited numerous documentary films and TV series for national and international broadcasters and the Web. She is the host for LinkTV’s Bridge to Iran series as well as technical director and editor for PBS and KCET-Link’s Global Spirit series. In these times of conflict, she focuses on using the power of film, media, and citizen-to-citizen dialogue to help clear social and cultural misunderstandings and promote a deeper sense of unity while embracing our diversity. Parisa holds a BA in international business from Sacramento State University, and an MFA in Humanities from San Francisco State University with a focus on Rumi.

Collaborating Artists

Honiball Joseph, composer

Honiball Joseph is an accomplished musician, composer, conductor, and pianist, with thirty years of extensive international experience in art. In addition to numerous recitals, he has organized, conducted, arranged and composed several orchestral and vocal concerts. In London, he performed Contemporary Assyrian Music at the British Museum (2019). In California, he performed in such venues as the Norman P. Murray City Hall in Mission Viejo (2018), De Anza Visual and Performing Arts Center in Cupertino (2017), Smothers Theater in Malibu (2016), C-PAEC in Calabasas (2015) and IQ studio in Orange County (2017). He also performed at the most prestigious concert halls in Iran, such as Vahdat Hall (2011, 2014), Roudaki Hall (2005) and Milad Tower (2013). Additionally, he developed Performance Art; introducing a dialogue between music and other fine arts (2013-2014).

 

Honiball Joseph is the founder and current Chief Executive Officer of Gilgamesh Art & Culture Foundation. Besides Gilgamesh Art & Culture Foundation, he has founded and directed Gilgamesh Philharmonic Orchestra (2016-present), Iranian Choir of America (2015-present), Beneil Music Academy (2001-2015) and Messiah Ensemble (1998-2015). He also conceived and established the Virtual Iranian Global Art Festival in 2005 and served as its chair for three consecutive terms (2006-2008).

 
Honiball Joseph has been a music educator since 1986. He is passionate about helping high quality art become more accessible to the community. Creativity and generations of new ideas and novel styles in the art have been inseparable aspects of his life.

Dr. Kira Zeeman Rugen, composer

Dr. Kira Zeeman Rugen is a composer, conductor, singer and professor from Scottsdale, Arizona. She is the Director of Choral Activities at Arizona Christian University where her choirs have toured around Arizona and California, and recently performed with Andrea Bocelli in live concert. Previously, Kira served as a faculty member at Grand Canyon University, where she taught music history, conducting and music education courses. She held the position of Faculty Associate at Arizona State University where she conducted Schola Cantorum (undergraduate music majors) and Choral Union the 100+ member community choir.

 

Kira’s compositions (found at MusicSpoke.com) have been performed around the world. The Master Chorale of Flagstaff commissioned her composition “Earth Teach Me” for choir, strings and piano for their concert “to Love this Earth” in April 2019. In November 2017, Kira traveled to France to conduct the premiere of her composition, “Saint-Brieuc Magnificat,” with the Saint-Brieuc Cathedral children and youth choir. Other choirs which have performed her compositions include the Phoenix Chorale, Kansas City Chorale, Pasadena Master Chorale, San Diego University Chamber Singers, Rockhurst High School, Arizona State University Men’s Chorus, Orpheus Men’s Chorus, Pinnacle Presbyterian Church Chancel Choir, Inspirare Nova, and the Episcopal Church of the Nativity.

 
Kira is the founder and Artistic Director for Solis Camerata, a professional choir which sings early music through modern repertoire. Now in their eighth season, Solis Camerata’s collaborations include high-profile performances with the Phoenix Symphony for Zelda, Symphony of the Godesses, Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, and performing at Talking Stick Resort Arena and Gila River Arena for the Game of Thrones Live Concert Experience under the baton of composer Ramin Djawadi. They have performed with The Chieftains for their 50th anniversary tour and they were invited to perform at the American Choral Directors Association Conference in Pasadena California in 2016. As a professional singer, Kira is in her fifteenth season as a soprano with the Phoenix Chorale, with whom she has won two Grammy Awards. Furthermore, she has performed for the Norvis Early Music Course in Durham England, Carnegie Hall’s Young Artist Concert Series with Ton Koopman, Korea’s Incheon International Choral Festival, and toured with Anúna (Ireland’s National Choir) under Michael McGlynn throughout Ireland, Japan and China.

Alex Jenkins, tabla

Due to his in-depth study of the music of different cultures, Alex Jenkins’ playing transcends musical traditions and boundaries. His expression of rhythm is heavily influenced by his study of Tabla. As a result, he has become known for his creative approach to music and his unique ability to fuse rhythmic ideas from various disciplines, into one cohesive sound.

 
Alex has studied Music, Drums and Percussion at CSUS Sacramento, The Ali Akbar Khan School of Music in San Rafael and Drummers Collective in New York. In Addition, He performs and records regularly, around California and beyond, playing a variety of music (on both Drum set and Tabla) including, Jazz, Rock, Blues, Fusion, Indian Classical and just about everything in between. Alex leads his own group called “The Alex Jenkins Quartet” which continues to keep a very busy performing and touring schedule, playing more than 100 shows a year.

 
Currently, Alex teaches percussion at Skip’s Music, Sacramento, William Land Elementary School and at Howe Ave Elementary. In addition, he keeps a busy teaching and clinic schedule which include workshops and clinics for various schools such as CSUS, American River College, Cosumnes River College, California College of the Arts in Oakland, UC Merced, Wood Creek High School, Orange Open Middle School, Citrus Heights Elementary, Unitarian Universalist Church of Davis, The Drum Lab, Davis Waldorf School, Whitney Elementary and various music stores around California.

Parisa Vaaleh, persian soloist

Parisa Vaaleh was born into an art loving family in Tehran. She began singing when she was a young girl and had her first stage performance when she was seven years old. Unfortunately, Parisa’s steps towards a career in art and music were interrupted by the Iranian revolution in the late seventies. However, her unwavering love for singing never diminished. For years she exposed herself to music from different nationalities and realized that music has the power to unite us all, regardless of race, nationality, or creed. This moved Parisa and inspired her compose and perform a more “fusion” style of music so that she could better connect to the people of our world.

 

Parisa has collaborated with such notable musicians as Henrik Naji, Reza Abaei, and Aldoush Alpanian, and in 2007 they released an album together, entitled “Ascent.” Looking for a way to respond to the 2009 Iranian social movement, Parisa recorded and performed a moving arrangement of the famous Ma ra Beboos, by Kamran Thunder. She also composed Bahar-e ghamangiz which is a setting of a poem by Hooshang Ebtehanj. In 2010 she released her second album “Fasl e Entezar,” where in she collaborated with Siavash. Some of the best Iranian musicians was released this year. In 2012, Parisa released the single Khoone-ye Roo-ye Aab which was the result of a collaboration with composer and arranger Babak katouzi.

 

In San Francisco, Parisa performed as an opening artist at the Hebst theatre (2009), in a collaborative performance with Fared Shafinouri at the de Young museum (2010), and at the Palace of Fine Arts (2013) for international women’s day. Some other notable projects and performances include singing on a telematic opera by Pari Chehrehsa called “Seven Stages of Erfan” at the University of Calgary, in Canada and presenting a two-hour concert featuring a collection of her music at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA.

 

More recently Parisa performed on Erwin Khachikian’s “Let Her Sing 2017” concert at the Marines Memorial Theatre, where she shared the stage with 9 other amazing female vocalists; and sang on “Song of my Homeland” a music project by composer and arranger Honiball Joseph. Both of these projects were held by “Diaspora Art Connections.”

 

Parisa wishes to convey the message of love, peace, and spirituality through her singing.

 

Purchase Tickets

APR 26 – Beatnik Studios (Sacramento)

APR 27 – Verge Center for the Arts (Sacramento)

APR 28 – Beatnik Studios (Sacramento)

SEASON PASS (2018-19)

DONATION (2018-19)