Program:

Rangārang No.1 - Rouhollah Khaleghi

Navā-ye Ney - Morteza Mahjoubi, Lyrics by Rahi Mo’ayeri

Improvisation - Avaz-e Dashti

Kārevān - Abolhasan Saba, arr. Golnoosh Khaleghi

Mey-e Nāb - R. Khaleghi on a poem by Hafez

‌INTERMISSION

Nasim-e Bahāri - R. Khaleghi, Lyrics R. Mo’ayeri

Hermān* - Iman Vaziri, Lyrics by Sahar Sakhaei

Improvisation - Chahargah

Rāmiāni - Folk arr. R. Khaleghi

Farvardin - Yahya Zarpanje arr. R. Khaleghi

Kenār-e Golzār - Alinaqi Vaziri

Na Ghodrat - Aref Ghazvini, arr. R. Khaleghi

All pieces arranged and adapted by Kousha Nakhaei
*Composition of this work was funded by Roshan Institute 

Directors’ Note:

On behalf of everyone at Canadian Golha Orchestra (CGO) and Golha Initiative for Music and Culture (GIMC), we welcome you to our concluding program of the first season. Tonight, we’re thrilled to have Sepideh Raissadat on stage, an internationally renowned singer of Iranian classical music who needs no introduction. Following a successful concert in the Fall of 2023 that focused on Rouhollah Khaleghi’s works, tonight’s program further explores the treasury of the Golha School of music. It features not only masterpieces of the 1950s and 1960s but also a newer composition by Iman Vaziri. We are delighted to present this wide-spanning repertoire to you.

CGO’s collaboration with Sepideh Raissadat began in the summer of 2022 when we planned, rehearsed, and recorded Khaleghi’s “Mey-e Nāb”, the title piece of our concert. We chose this piece because it was one of the most complex yet least performed pieces of the Golha era. “Mey-e Nāb,” composed on poetry by Hafiz (c. 1325 - 1390), takes the listeners on a dynamic musical journey that explores various modes of Iranian classical music. Originally, this piece was sung by the master singer Gholamhossein Banan, but tonight we hear it in Sepideh Raissadat’s voice, making her masterfully crafted performance a powerful metaphor for the changing horizons in Iranian society, music, and culture.

Finally, we thank everyone who has played a role in making this concert happen. In particular, we’re grateful to our sponsors and generous donors without whom this show would not be possible. And we thank you for your presence, which makes this concert special and meaningful.

Hadi Milanloo - Executive Director
Kousha Nakhaei - Artistic Director

Biographies:

Canadian Golha Orchestra

Conductor: Kousha Nakhaei


Violin 1:
Bijan Sepanji (Concertmaster)
Behnoosh Behnamnia
Aysel Taghizada
Elizabeth Loewen Andrews
Samad Barghi
Suhashini Arulanandam 

Violin 2:
Rezan Onen-Lapointe
Ellen Moore
Saba Yousefi
Jonathan Garabedian

Viola:
Yoon Woo Kim
Matthew Golem 
Matt Antal

Cello:
Darya Zonoozi
Mary-Katherine Finch
Sybil Shanahan

Double Bass:
Julian Anderson-Bowes

Flute:
Tristan Durie
Terry Lim

Clarinet:
Naomi McCarrol-Buttler
Yalda Ehsani

Tar:
Kouhyar Babaeian
Shahin Fayaz

Tonbak:
Naghmeh Farahmand

We acknowledge the support of following organizations:

GOLD SPONSORS:

SILVER SPONSORS:

COMMUNITY SPONSOR: