Duende Festival 2020: The Road to Azadi.Libertad with Farnaz Ohadi and the Mashregh Ensemble

In early 2019, Iranian-born singer Farnaz Ohadi mesmerized Museum audiences with a spellbinding concert focused on songs from her first album, 2016’s Bird Dance. Developed over four years, the recording tells of Ohadi’s early life in Iran and her decision to leave her country of birth to make a life in Canada.

Fast forward to 2020 and the Vancouver-based artist is sharing the latest flamenco-infused chapter of her musical story, this time in a special online performance-documentary for the Museum’s Duende Festival.

Presenting selections from her upcoming Azadi.Libertad release, Ohadi is debuting her latest sonic experiments fusing Persian balladry and flamenco. Accompanying the Canadian Folk Music Award nominee is her band the Mashregh Ensemble, featuring Josue Tacoronte Otero (guitar), Amir Amiri (santour), Michael Rush (bass), Hanser Santos Gomez (percussion), and Sydney Cochrane (flamenco dance).

Due in 2021, Azadi.Libertad began as an achingly personal response to social unrest that flared up in Iran in early 2020. “Intense emotions are fully on display, ranging from nostalgia, to pain, yearning, and rage,” Ohadi says. “Nevertheless, the underlying current of each song always remains within the exploration of the idea of how deeply the two genres can be fused.”

To learn more about the Duende Festival 2020: https://agakhanmuseum.org/programs/duende-festival-2020

The Museum's Duende Festival 2020 was made possible by the Government of Canada, the Ontario Arts Council, and the City of Toronto, with support from the Cultural Office of the Spanish Embassy in Canada.

Видео Duende Festival 2020: The Road to Azadi.Libertad with Farnaz Ohadi and the Mashregh Ensemble канала Aga Khan Museum