Events

Christchurch Nowruz 2022

Christchurch Iranian Society's 2022 Nowruz (Persian New Year) celebration at the Aldersgate Centre, where Simurgh Music School trained a group of talented young kids to perform. They were definitely the stars of the show! A following celebration at Tūranga Library featured an educational presentation on Persian music by Simurgh Music School tutors. 

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Christchurch Eid Al-Fitr Festival 2022

In collaboration with Asturlab Cultural Centre, Simurgh Music School put together the music programme for Christchurch's first Eid Al-Fitr Festival, the city's largest ever celebration of Middle-Eastern & Islamic cultures. Simurgh Music school's Persian daf drummers accompanied Arabic singers for a series of nasheeds - traditional Islamic songs.

 

NZ Golden Ribbon Youth Music Festival 2022

A week long music festival hosted by the University of Canterbury School of Music, where Simurgh Music School provided presentations and workshops on Persian & Middle-Eastern music to some young musicians. The event culminated with a concert in the Christchurch Town Hall, where our tutors and daf group joined in some fusion performances with Chinese, Western, and Indian traditional musicians.

03 Sessions Concert

03 Sessions is a weekly concert series held at Space Academy, whose mission is to promote original and improvised music across a wide range of genres. This was the first full scale concert by a Persian music group in Christchurch, with a mix of modern and traditional pieces by Bārbad Ensemble, including the Simurgh Music School tutors. For many in the audience it was a first encounter with this type of music.

UCGS International Fashion Show 2022

Organised by the University of Canterbury Global Society, the event was a celebration of the diverse range of fashion from around the world. Simurgh Music School's daf group and Samaa dancers joined with Bārbad Ensemble to perform together for the first time, as well as contribute Persian attire to the international fashion runway.

Monthly Samaa sessions

Once a month Simurgh Music School hosts an evening of Samaa - Sufi whirling dervish dance sessions, with live traditional music & singing, and recitation of Persian poetry by the likes of Rumi. The sessions are free for everyone and tea and refreshments are also provided. Whether you want to try something new and join in the whirling, or just come to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, all are welcome. 

Canterbury Museum Persian Cultural Showcase

Hosted by the Canterbury Museum in collaboration with Lady Khadija Trust was a showcase of Persian culture in Christchurch, as part of their series of Migrant Community Showcases. The event utilized the 'Isolation Hotel' exhibition to feature music performances by Simurgh Music School and Bārbad Ensemble, and a demontration of zurkhaneh, a traditional Persian form of exercise, athletics and martial arts by our friends at Zurkhaneh Academy NZ.

Christchurch City Libraries Persian & Indian Music Showcase

Hosted by the Te Hāpua Halswell Centre as part of the Christchurch City Libraries' NZ May Music Month programme, Simurgh Music School put on a showcase of Persian and Indian musical instruments and culture, with a special Persian/Indian fusion performance with tabla & dilruba musician Louis Singh Talbot, as well as a performance by Bārbad Ensemble and a demonstration by Zurkhaneh Acadamy NZ.

Little River Drum Festival 2022

Held in the beautiful Little River Campground each year is a weekend celebrating world percussion, organised by percussionist Doug Brush. The Drum Festival features an incredible lineup of drum & dance from Africa, Latin America, Asia, Oceania and for the first time this year: Persia. Simurgh Music School and Zurkhaneh Academy NZ had the pleasure of putting together a set showcasing the Daf, Tonbak, Dammam and Zarb, as well as samaa dance and zurkhaneh training.