Paris to Host Persian, Afghan, Tajik Concerts

The first International Festival of Persian Speaking Communities in Europe will be held in Paris in January.

Aimed at introducing and promoting Persian culture and the arts across continents, the festival covers a wide range of Persian artistic and cultural programs including music, literature, photography, visual arts and stand-up comedy.

Noteworthy among the programs is the Simorgh (a bird in Iranian mythology) concert in which classical vocalist and tonbak player Homayoun Shajarian, son of the renowned traditional singer Mohammadreza Shajarian, will sing, Honaronline reported.

Homayoun, 42, began studying technique and rhythm at the age of five. He was 10 when his father began teaching him Persian traditional vocal (avaz). From 1999, he started accompanying his father in concerts as a vocalist. His albums have been among the bestsellers in the music market.

Tajik music band ‘Falak’ led by Dolatmand Khalef will also perform at the event. Khalef is an acclaimed musician and singer. Most of his songs are based on the poetry of Persian poet and scholar Rumi (1207-1273).

Secretary of the festival is Iranian author Leili Anvar. She had her PhD dissertation on Rumi’s Magnum Opus ‘Divan-e-Shams,’ a collection of lyric poems containing over 40,000 verses. Her thesis was titled ‘From Paradox to Unity: A Study of Divan-e Shams.’

Two concerts by Afghan musicians are also planned for the festival.