Conference of the Birds – Oratorio Premiere

This world premiere of this movement driven, semi-staged oratorio based on Sufi mystic poet Attar’s seminal text about the journey of the soul as it seeks union with the Divine. Featuring an a capella choir and seven soloists acting narratively and orchestrally, accompanied by a dancer.

A Resonance Collective production

Fahad Siadat, Composer
Sholeh Wolpé, Librettist
André Megerdichian, Director, Choreographer

IN ENGLISH WITH TEXT FROM THE ORIGINAL PERSIAN

“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