Pacific Symphony Celebrates Nowruz With Shahram And Hafez Nazeri, And Shardad Rohani

Pacific Symphony, in its ongoing quest to present a broad array of musical genres for diverse audiences, will again celebrate the Iranian New Year festival of Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring and has been celebrated for 3,000 years. Presented in collaboration with the Farhang Foundation, this special concert led by Music Director Carl St.Clair will take place on March 28 at 8 p.m. The program is sponsored by Alan and Anoosheh Oskouian and J.P. Morgan Private Bank. The cultural sponsor for the event is the Farhang Foundation

The program will feature works of Mikhail Glinka, Johann Strauss, Jr. and contemporary Iranian symphonic music performed by Pacific Symphony as well as traditional Persian music. Guest artists include acclaimed Iranian conductor and composer Shardad Rohani, and the internationally celebrated father-son vocalists Shahram and Hafez Nazeri. Pacific Symphony acknowledges the generous sponsorship of the Farhang Foundation in making this musical celebration possible.

Anoosheh Oskouian (CEO of Ship & Shore Environmental, Inc.), who serves as a trustee of the Farhang Foundation and as a board member of Pacific Symphony, commented, "This is the third time-and the second consecutive year-that Pacific Symphony is partnering with the Farhang Foundation to celebrate Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring and rebirth of nature." She continued, "Before the evening concert, the lobby of Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall comes alive with the colorful dancing and folk music of Iran. The spirit of the season will sweep people away when they see the large-scale Haft-Sîn table, which symbolizes a traditional Iranian tablescape celebrating the spring equinox. And we all look forward to the evening concert presenting the legendary singer Shahram Nazeri and his son, composer Hafez Nazeri take the stage, transporting us to another time and place."

Maestro St.Clair commented: "For many years now Pacific Symphony has been striving to embrace Orange County's rich and diverse communities through contextual programming. This is a way to connect on a more personal level and also reflects my own wish to enrich lives through the beauty and power of music. I greatly look forward to the collaboration between these extraordinary artists, members of Pacific Symphony and myself. We hope to build and deepen bridges between cultures through art and music."

As one of the most ancient and important festivals of Persian heritage, the Nowruz New Year celebration symbolizes the vitality of Persian culture and continues an exultant tradition that unites all those who participate. Nowruz has been celebrated for more than 3,000 years encompassing a broad range of Persian customs, and it is among the unique Persian (Iranian today) cultural events that are pertinent to the traditions of all Persian religious groups.

Tickets are extremely limited and the concert is expected to sell out. Call Pacific Symphony's box office at (714) 755-5799 for availability.

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