Composer Shahab Azinmehr, along with Nathan Daems, Seraphine Stragier, and Farnoosh Khodadadeh, celebrate the beauty of life, death, and rebirth of the Phoenix based on the poetry masterpiece "The Conference of the Birds" by 12th century Persian poet and mystic Attar Neishabouri, translated to Dutch by Farnoosh Kodadadeh and Josse De Pauw.
“Project commissioned by Concertgebouw Brugge"
Daf player and singer Farnoosh Khodadadeh moved from Iran to Belgium in 2004 for love. Introduced to the Flemish music scene by Dick Van der Harst, she quickly thrived alongside her career as an intensive carenurse. Her work is deeply rooted in Persian poetry, mysticism, and the connection between cultures and the soul. Farnoosh has a special talent for uniting musicians. She is the driving force behind the projects "Farnoosh and Friends" and "Echoes of the Mountains", both co-produced with Ha Concerts, De Grote Post, and Bronks. She also co-initiated "Rumi Passion" and "The City’s Song - The Tehran Sessions". "Het Lied van de Feniks" was commissioned by Concertgebouw Brugge.
Master of Persian music, Shahab Azinmehr (born 1985), began his career as a singer and later learned to play the tar and setar under the guidance of masters such as Mohammad Musavi, Dariush Talä'i, Mas'ud Sho'âri, Behruz Hemmatiand Rezà Parvizzade. He is also a member of the ensemble Orpheus XXI, led by maestro Jordi Savall.
Shahab has toured with various projects, including "Samin Ghorbani, Female Voice of Iran" and in 2020, he moved from Iran to Belgium. Shahab does not limit himself to Persian music alone. Together with Sofie Vanden Eynde on the lute, he performs as the duo "Portal" and is a member of “Auster Loo Collective”, led by Simon Leleux, a project where eight musicians from different corners of the world come together.
Nathan Daems is a Brussels based musician who is proficient in the nuances of jazz and has knowledge and experience in several oriental genres. As a jazz musician he is also driven by rhythmic explorations of many African and Brazilian styles. Today he excels in combining a profound oriental vocabulary & melancholy with the improvisational earthbound power of afro grooves and jazz.
Nathan is founder of Black Flower, Ragini Trio, Trance Plantations and has collaborated with artists such as Ibrahim Maalouf, The Gaslamp Killer, Bojan Z, Theodosii Spassov, Danalogue & Betamax (The Comet is Coming), Tcha Limberger, National Orchestra of Belgium, Brussels Philharmonic, Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Alain Pérez (bass player of Paco De Lucia), Warhaus, Lander Gyselinck (STUFF), Meskerem Mees, Smokey Hormel (guitar player of Tom Waits, Johnny Cash,…), Stef-Kamil Karlens (dEUS), Lady Lynn, Myrddin, Dirk Brossé, Madhup & Sawani Mudgal, Marko Markovic, Aynur Dogan, Dick Van Der Harst, Sylvie Kreusch, Pantelis Stoikos, Christos Barbas, Andrea Piccioni, Shahab Azinmehr, Guy Van Nueten, etc.
Seraphine Stragier is a versatile musician and classically trained cellist with a love for folk and contemporary sounds. Exploring various instruments like the violin, piano, Celtic harp, and nyckelharpa.
Her solo album "Rêveries" is a collection of melancholic and dreamy compositions, blending her favorite melodies by artists like Hildegard von Bingen, J.S. Bach, and Cinematic Orchestra.
Seraphine has performed with the likes of Sunsunsun Orkestra, Eriksson Delcroix, Roosbeef, John Cale, Stef Bos, Tamino, Pitou, Yevgueni, Wannes Cappelle, Jackobond, Blixa Bargeld, Pieter Embrechts, Ansatz der Maschine, Klankennest, Spectra, Laïs, Sioen, Hannelore Bedert, Sofia Amman, Zita Swoon, etc.
Besides being part of several theatre productions, Seraphine has a passione for music for well-being. She works with Mus-IC, providing live performances for Intensive Care patients at UZ Gent to promote their recovery and well-being. She also collaborates with Muziek-Elixir, offering musical afternoons in care homes to bring joy to elderly residents.
She is the proud mother of four children.
