Abraham / Ibrahim
with Fahad Siadat and Aaron Henne
Philosophical Research Society
3910 Los Feliz Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90027
Wednesday, November 11th
7:30pm
Join us as we explore key similarities and differences of the story of Abraham as found in the Torah, Qur'an & extended religious commentary.
Abraham / Ibrahim: A discussion with Fahad Siadat & Aaron Henne
Composer Fahad Siadat and playwright Aaron Henne will host a "fireside chat” about the story of Abraham and his family, a central origin story for the ethnic identity of both Jews and Arabs, and explore some of the key similarities and differences of the story as found in the Torah, Qur'an, and extended religious commentary. The conversation will also include a preview of how they are approaching this topic in their new opera Count the Stars, including readings from the libretto and performances of key musical moments.
This talk is held in anticipation of their upcoming opera workshop on December 5th at Greenway Court Theater.
Performers
Fahad Siadat
A “fanciful and downright utopian artist and thinker” (LA Times), Fahad Siadat explores sound as spiritual practice, creating interdisciplinary pieces as a vehicle for unveiling the mystery of our interconnected world. His music is described as “evoking wonder, desire, and terror” (Off Broadway) with narratives that “border on being a spiritual journey” (LA Dance Chronicle). and has been presented by the L.A. County Museum of Art, Broadstage, and Museum of Contemporary Art.
Working as a performer, composer, conductor, and curator, Fahad is the director of the Resonance Collective and the award-winning vocal ensemble HEX. His music has been performed in Europe, China, and across the United States.
Aaron Henne is the artistic director of theatre dybbuk, an organization which combines scholarship and performance to explore contemporary issues. Works as writer/director with theatre dybbuk include exagoge, Dracula (Annotated), and The Merchant of Venice (Annotated) (Stage Raw Awards for Direction and Ensemble). Henne’s other plays include Sliding Into Hades (LA Weekly Awards for Playwriting and Production of the Year) and Mesmeric Revelation (SF Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Original Script). He has presented character creation workshops at Lucasfilm, Pixar, and DreamWorks. Henne served as faculty for the Executive M.A. Program in Jewish Education at Hebrew Union College.
