Music and Voices of the Silk Route Celebrate Nowruz at Portuguese Parliament

Lisbon, 2 April 2013 – As part of a week-long programmes celebrating Nowruz, musicians from the Silk Route performing with the Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI) presented a specially curated concert programme in the Senate Room of the Portuguese Parliament. Nowruz marks the beginning of Spring, which is a cherished holiday in the Silk Route region. A second concert was performed at the Ismaili Centre in Lisbon on the 27th of March.

The performances included artists from the Badakhshan Ensemble (Tajikistan), classical and folk music from Iran, as well as instrumental and festive music from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as a number of other artists. The event was open to the public. 

Jointly sponsored by the Committee of Foreign Affairs of the Assembly of the Republic (CoFA) under the direction of President Dr. Alberto Martins, the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and the Aga Khan Music Initiative (AKMI), the performance was part of the Aga Khan Music Initiative’s week-long programme entitled Celebrations of Nowruz. 

In addition to the concerts in Lisbon, several concert performances, lecture-demonstrations, film screenings and master classes were presented at the Théâtre de la Ville (Paris) on 23 and 24 March, theScène Nationale d’Orléans (Orléans) on 26 March and at the Cité de la Musique, Marseille, on 27 and 29 March.

The programme, called Music and Voices of the Silk Route, was designed to present audiences with a broad perspective on the richness and diversity of the artistic traditions of the region. The concerts showcased new talents and offered an introduction to the tradition of celebrating the region’s most beloved holiday, Nowruz. 

Nowruz, or literally “the new day”, marks both the beginning of spring and of the New Year for many Muslim communities in Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia and elsewhere. It is celebrated on the day of the March equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or on the previous or following day, depending on where it is observed. 

For more information about the Aga Khan Music Initiative, please see:www.akdn.org/music