Creative Team

André Megerdichian, Director/Choreographer
Fahad Siadat, Composer
Sholeh Wolpé, Librettist
Kate Poppen, Costume Design
R.S. Buck, Lighting Design/Production Manager
Kirk Averitt, Company Manager
Anna Klevit, Stage Manager
 

Original Cast

Joslyn Sarshad, "Hoopoe"
Fahad Siadat, "Narrator"
Catalina Jackson-Urueña, Dancer
HEX Ensemble, soloists
Amanda Achen, Molly Pease, Saunder Choi, David Conley, Paul An, James Hayden

Ensemble: Chloé Vaught, Ianthe Marini, Drew Corey, Elizabeth Waller, Ariana Stultz, Vera Lugo, Frank Hobbs, Kion Heidari, Corona De Los Santos, Kirk Averitt, Jacob Sidney

"We are the birds in the story. All of us have our own ideas and ideals, our own fears and anxieties, as we hold on to our own version of the truth. Like the birds of this story, we may take flight together, but the journey itself will be different for each of us. Attar tells us that truth is not static, and that we each tread a path according to our own capacity. It evolves as we evolve. Those who are trapped within their own dogma, clinging to hardened beliefs or faith, are deprived of the journey toward the unfathomable Divine, which Attar calls the Great Ocean." — Sholeh Wolpé, librettist

The Conference of the Birds is a new oratorio based on Sufi mystic poet Attar’s seminal text about the journey of the soul as it seeks union with the Divine. It is composed by Fahad Siadat with a libretto by Sholeh Wolpé and directed/choreographed by André Megerdichian. The epic poem utilizes a form found in medieval Islamic literature, the embedded narrative, whereby a series of smaller tales and parables nestle within a larger narrative that illustrates and distills the core tenets of the Sufi spiritual path and philosophy, a tradition often considered the mystical branch of Islam. The story follows the birds of the world who embark on a journey to find their king, the Simurgh, a divine, mythical creature. Traveling through The Seven Valleys, the birds follow the spiritual trials of the Sufi path as they journey to the Simurgh’s door.

Rather than using instruments for additional symphonic and timbral color as is typical for an oratorio, the a cappella choir both narratively acts as the birds on the journey as well as musically function as the ‘orchestra’ to support arias and recitatives, utilizing a collection of alternative vocal techniques not typically found in choral music. The intent with this project is to engage further with the relationship between musical principles and the ecstatic experience within Sufi religious practice, especially the experience of deindividuation, a core aspect of Sufi practice. While Sufi music has its own structures and idioms, the specific musical aspects of Sufi compositions, like rhythmic cells or harmony structures, are not in and of themselves considered sacred nor to have mystical properties that bestow on the listener an ecstatic experience.

Conference of the Birds received its soft premiere at the Garrison Theater at Scripps College on March 27, 2022, followed by a performance featuring selections from the oratorio at A Noise Within on March 28, 2022.

Conference of the Birds is made possible in part by a grant from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. Conference of the Birds is also supported in part by Scripps Presents, the public programming series at Scripps College.

Creative Team

Fahad Siadat
Composer

André Megerdichian
Director

Sholeh Wolpé
Librettist

Media

Photos

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Photo: Pete Agraan

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Photo: Pete Agraan

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Photo: Pete Agraan

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Photo: Pete Agraan

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Upcoming Performances

June 18 & 19, 2022

Fahad Siadat's
Conference of the Birds
@ The Broad Stage

Fahad Siadat's
Conference of the Birds
@ The Broad Stage

The Broad Stage - Main Stage
1310 11th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401 This semi-staged oratorio is based on Sufi mystic poet Attar’s seminal text about the journey of the soul as it seeks union with the Divine. An Original Work by the Resonance Collective, learn more about Conference of the Birds here. Get Tickets

If you are interested in bringing Conference of the Birds to your stage or organization, click on the button below to go to our touring page.

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