THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS
A Resonance Collective Production
Based on Sufi mystic poet Attar’s seminal text, The Conference of the Birds is a new, movement driven, a cappella oratorio about the journey of the soul as it seeks union with the Divine.
About the Work
The Conference of the Birds follows the birds of the world who embark on a journey to find their sovereign, Simorgh, a divine/mythical creature. Led by the wise Hoopoe they travel through Seven Valleys, each a spiritual realm of understanding that unfolds as they journey toward Simorgh’s sanctuary. The libretto is drawn from Sufi mystic poet Attar’s seminal text about the journey of the soul as it seeks union with the Divine.
The oratorio is composed by Fahad Siadat with a libretto by Sholeh Wolpé and directed/choreographed by André Megerdichian. The story is structured like nesting dolls, utilizing smaller tales and parables nestled within a larger narrative to advance the voyage of the birds. The result is an engaging and soul-lifting spiritual journey that not only illustrates the core tenets of the Sufi mystical path but also metaphorically addresses our 21st century spiritual and environmental woes. This project is an opportunity to explore further the relationship between musical principles and the ecstatic experience within Sufi spiritual practice, especially the experience of deindividuation—shedding of one’s ego—which is a core feature of a wayfarer’s path.
The Conference of the Birds is told entirely through movement and a cappella song. The work utilizes virtuosic physicality and musical techniques found in singing styles across the globe. The chorus moves throughout the work embodying the birds on the journey while also functioning musically as the ‘orchestra’ to tell the story and support the vocal solos. They are accompanied throughout the narrative by two dancers who serve as physical manifestations of the ideas being sought.
The result is a landscape of visceral movement and sound outside of any one cultural tradition, creating a poignant and relatable experience through the human body and voice.
The Creative Team
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Composer
Like the Resonance Collective as a whole, Fahad Siadat's work sits at the intersection of artistic and spiritual practice. He creates meditative solo pieces and interdisciplinary storytelling works, folding together words, sound, and movement into ritualistic narratives. His work is described by the press as “Exceptional” (LA Times), “hypnotic” (Backstage) and having “a sophisticated harmonic vocabulary” (San Diego Story) with “characteristic vivaciousness” (Theatre Scene). He is an advocate of innovative and adventurous music and approaches this advocacy as a performer, composer, conductor and entrepreneur.
In addition to directing the Resonance Collective, Fahad also directs the new music vocal ensemble HEX and is an active composer and performer. He has appeared as soloist with LA’s groundbreaking opera company The Industry, and the Grammy Award-Winning PARTCH and is regularly commissioned to write for concert music ensembles, dance companies, and theater troupes including: Cor Cantiamo, Theater Dybbuk, Rosanna Gamson Dance, Monmouth University, Jacksonville Dance Theater, the California EAR Unit, and the TOCCATA Orchestra. His music has been performed in Europe, China, and across the United States.
To hear his work, visit www.fahadsiadat.com.
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Director/Choreographer
André Megerdichian has worked with such companies and choreographers as the Limón Dance Company, Dance Kaleidoscope, the Mary Anthony Dance Theatre, Janis Brenner and Dancers, Seán Curran, and Daniel Charon. As a choreographer his work has been presented by numerous Universities, festivals, and dance institutions throughout the United States and internationally in the Czech Republic, Austria, and China. As the Co-Founder and Director of New Works for the Resonance Collective he is deeply drawn to creating interdisciplinary, collaborative works driven by narratives of transformation and discovery.
His work is rooted in the deeply humanistic, highly physical, explorations of modern dance traditions while exploring the diverse multitude of tensions and curiosities of today. André is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Carolina and has served as a faculty member at the Duncan Center Conservatory in Prague Czech, Republic, The Limón Institute in New York City, the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and teaches master classes and workshops throughout the United States, Europe, and China. He holds a BFA from Butler University and MFA from the California Institute of the Arts.
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Librettist
Sholeh Wolpé is an Iranian-American poet, playwright and librettist. Her literary work numbers over more than a dozen books, several plays, song lyrics and an oratorio. Her most recent book, Abacus of Loss: A Memoir in Verse is lauded by National Book Award finalist Ilya Kaminsky as a book “that created its own genre—a thrill of lyric combined with the narrative spell.”
Sholeh is the recipient of a 2014 PEN Heim, 2013 Midwest Book Award and 2010 Lois Roth Persian Translation prize as well as many international residencies and fellowships. In 2020, Sholeh was named a “Cultural Trailblazer” by the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs.
Her translations of 12th century Sufi mystic poet, Attar, The Conference of the Birds (W.W. Norton), and 20th century Iranian rebel poet Forugh Farrokhzad, Sin: Selected Poems of Forugh Farrokhzad (Univ. of Arkansas Press) have garnered awards and established Sholeh as a celebrated re-creator of Persian poetry. Sholeh’s plays have been produced by Oakland Theater Project, Inferno Theater, Northern Illinois University, and The Alternative Theater company, among others, and have been finalists and semifinalists at major U.S. festivals.
As lyricist/ librettist, Sholeh has written for international composers such as Huba de Graaf (Netherlands), Aida Shirazi (Canada), Sahba Motallebi (U.S./ Iran), Niloufar Nourbakhsh (U.S.), Sahba Aminikia (U.S./ Iran), Shawn Crouch (U.S.), and Chris Gordon (U.S.), Fahad Siadat (U.S), Ramin Amin Tafreshi (Netherlands), among others. Sholeh is a Writer-In-Resident at University of California, Irvine and divides her time between Los Angeles and Barcelona.
About the Cast
The Conference of the Birds cast is a critically acclaimed, internationally recognized group of performers who have appeared as soloists with renowned organizations including the New York Philharmonic, LA Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, The Industry, and London Symphony Orchestra.
Cast members can be heard on major motion picture soundtracks, choral and solo albums, and performing in music venues around the globe including Walt Disney Concert Hall, Lincoln Center, Radio City Musical Hall, Tokyo Garden Theatre, Banff Center for the Arts, and the Hollywood Bowl.
The soloists are members of HEX, LA's premiere new music vocal sextet. HEX is committed to performing works that reimagine the expressive potential of the human voice and reframing the expressive possibilities of the human voice. The group was recently nominated for the San Francisco Classical Voice Audience Choice Award's in three categories including Favorite Choral Ensemble, Choral Performance, and New Music Performance.
Featured soloists: Anne Harley, Fahad Siadat, Amanda Achen, Molly Pease, Saunder Choi, David Conley, Paul Chwe Minchul An, James Hayden
Featured dancers: Catalina Jackson-Urueña & Tippy Dringman
Amanda Achen
Anne Harley
Ariana Stultz
Catalina Jackson-Urueña
Chloe Vaught
Corona de los Santos
David Conley
Drew Corey
Elizabeth Waller
Frank Hobbs
Ianthe Marini
Jacob Sidney
James Hayden
Joslyn Sarshad
Kion Heidari
Kirk Averitt
Molly Pease
Paul Chwe Minchul An
Saunder Choi
Tippy Dringman
Vera Lugo
Artist's Note
In recent decades the advent of internet and social media has enabled people of various cultures and creeds to band together in response to the gathering darkness in our world— the rampant violence instigated and nourished by political greed, religious extremism and unabashed bigotry. This united response is a sign of humanity’s awakening to an unprecedented milestone which the 12th century Iranian Sufi mystic poet Attar calls the power of “unity in diversity.”
Before we spoke, we moved, we danced, we told stories and communed with the spirits of heaven and earth with our bodies. As our capacities grew, we created sound, singing the songs of our hearts, connecting with the universe through vibration. Cultivated over time, those vibrations became language, clear and distinct, weaving thoughts with dazzling complexities. Each of those mediums was an expression of desire, born of a necessity to connect. We believe humanity’s most primal need is to be part of something greater than the self. It’s a feeling that sits deep within us, a knowing that we are not just connected to each other, but to something that holds us all.
When you come to see this enchanting production you will become part of the story, birds who take flight together, but ultimately, the journey itself will be different for each viewer. 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. 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. Through The Conference of the Birds, Attar gave us a road map, laying out the journey to that ultimate communion with joy, reverence, and humor, simultaneously conveying the necessity and gravity of the endeavor. That map is for all of us, regardless of race, color, or creed, and awaits, patiently, for us to take up the journey.
What People Are Saying
“Elegantly staged and choreographed…a luminous ensemble of singers”
— Los Angeles Times
“An experience that challenges conventions of the form while addressing our deep desire for liberation and freedom."
— Javanan International Weekly Magazine
“an extraordinary theater experience that bordered on being a spiritual journey…a symphony without any other musical instruments”
— LA Dance Chronicle
““Innovative, new, and wondrous"
— The Farhang Foundation
Highlights
Community Engagement
In addition to performances of The Conference of the Birds in your community or campus, we offer a range of residency and community engagement activities for audiences of all ages. These include interfaith panels and discussions with the artistic team, dramatic readings of the original text by Attar, and seminars on various topics related to Conference of the Birds. Below you will find specific activities from each member of the artistic team that can be programmed before or after the performance.
Librettist Sholeh Wolpé offers seminars on poetry and translation, Iranian art and diaspora, and the life of Attar.
Director and choreographer André Megerdichian offers a choreography masterclass, classes on Limón technique, and dance technique workshops focused on "exploring empty space and spatial relationships."
Composer Fahad Siadat offers lectures and practicums on performance as spiritual practice, the 21st century voice, and non-idiomatic vocal improvisation.
Fahad and André also offer a joint seminar on composer/choreographer collaborations, as well as a studio lab for undergraduate and graduate students, leading to the creation of a newly devised music/dance piece.
In addition to the show’s creators, the cast, which comprises internationally recognized performers, composers, and respected academics, are available for workshops, presentations, and masterclasses related to contemporary performance.
Touring Models
Model A1 (Local to CA)
This model is for presenters interested in bringing the entire original cast to their venue in a location that doesn't require flights or overnight stays. This model includes the following budget:
Composer Fee
Choreographer Fee
Librettist Fee
Performer Fee (22 Performers
Travel Costs (Bus Charter)
Costume Transportation and Maintenance
Contingency Fee
Model A2 (Non-Local)
This model is for presenters interested in bringing the entire original cast to their venue. It assumes something similar to a Thursday arrival, Friday dress/tech, Saturday show, and Sunday departure. This model includes the following budget:
Composer Fee
Choreographer Fee
Librettist Fee
Performer Fee (22 Performers)
Travel Costs (Flight for 22 Performers & 3 Creators)
Lodging for Cast & Creators
Per Diem
Costume Transportation and Maintenance
Contigency Fee
Model B (Soloists Only)
This is our core model and involves local performance organizations (community choir, college, etc) in conjunction with the original principals. This includes two weekends with the composer and choreographer, and five days to rehearse with principals. This model includes the following budget:
Composer Fee
Choreographer Fee
Librettist Fee
Performer Fee (9 Performers)
Travel Costs (Flight for 9 Performers & 3 Creators)
Lodging for Principals and Creators
Per Diem
Costume Maintenance and Transportation
Contingency Fee
The Resonance Collective
The Resonance Collective exists to inspire and nurture the collective spirit of Los Angeles and beyond by expanding our understanding of the arts as a sacred and mystical experience, through the creation and performance of innovative and adventurous music.
We further this mission through three methods: creation, curation, and education.
We create interdisciplinary, theatrical narratives based on spiritual transformation as part of our Original Works program.
We curate exceptional music from traditions around the world through the Golden Thread Concert Series. Each event extends on the ritual of the traditional concert experience and offers a different perspective on the possibilities of sacred music.
We educate creative musicians during the annual N.E.O. Voice Festival, a week long celebration of the human voice with a focus on redefining the oratorio as a modern sacred storytelling form, holistic contemporary vocal performance, and compositional techniques.
The Conference of the Birds have been supported by:
Contact Us
info@resonancecollective.org