Pacific Symphony, Farhang Foundation to celebrate Iranian New Year with Nowruz concert

Each March, at the start of the vernal equinox, millions of people all over the world celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, with 13 days of traditions centered around family, togetherness and the splendors of a world born anew.

Translated from Persian as “new day,” the largely secular holiday is observed by people in Iran, Afghanistan, China, the United States, India, Tajikistan, Turkey and beyond.

Orange County residents can partake in a special celebration the evening of March 26, when Nowruz, an Iranian New Year’s concert by the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, comes to the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.

A March 2019 Haft Sȋn, a traditional Iranian table display decorated with objects symbolizing prosperity, fertility and luck.

(Vafa Khatami)

The event is presented in collaboration with the Farhang Foundation, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit that celebrates and promotes Iranian art and culture throughout Southern California. This year marks the third Nowruz celebration, and the first time since 2019 pandemic restrictions have eased to allow for large gatherings.

“The concert is really a celebration of bringing the East and West together. And we have a lot to celebrate, not just the New Year,” Farhang Foundation Executive Director Alireza Ardekani said Friday.

Ticketed guests will behold a spectacular Haft Sȋn display, a traditional Iranian table display decorated with objects intended to symbolize prosperity, good luck, fertility and other manifestations of fortune. Musicians and members of L.A.-based Melieka Fathi Dance Company will perform a pre-show and during intermission.

In the concert hall, composer and conductor Maestro Shardad Rohani will conduct his own exclusive composition of the beloved Dance of the Spring Overture to welcome spring. He’ll be joined by Iranian composers Hossein Yousefzamani and Shahin Yousefzamani along with Iranian vocalist Alireza Ghorbani.

The performance will also feature two of Iran’s most notable female artists, vocalist Mojgan Shajarian and master guitarist Lily Afshar.

“Nowruz is the best event of Iranian culture as a starter, even for non-Iranians, because there’s something for everyone. Everyone celebrates nature and spring,” Ardekani said.

Tickets range from $50 to $299 and are available online at pacificsymphony.org/shows and at farhang.org/NowruzOC. The show begins at 7 p.m.

Nowruz, the Iranian New Year concert at Segerstrom Concert Hall, in March 2019. This year’s show takes place on March 26.

(Vafa Khatami)

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