An Ode to Spring: Qais Essar with Kosa Kolektiv

Date: Saturday, March 25, 2023, 8 pm
Price: $40 Regular, $36 Friends, $30 Students and Seniors
Tickets include Museum admission.
A limited number of rush tickets will be available at the door.

Celebrate Nowruz with an evening of contemporary Ukrainian folk songs by Kosa Kolektiv, followed by a performance by Afghan-American rabab player Qais Essar, co-presented by Small World Music. Observed by communities all across the world, Nowruz is a celebration of rebirth and renewal, marking the first day of Spring.

Qais Essar

Contemporary Afghan composer, instrumentalist, and producer Qais Essar creates his melodic designs on the rabab — a 2,500-year-old instrument from Afghanistan. Named "a master of the rabab" by the NY Daily News, he has released several critically acclaimed albums, earning him a spot as an Amazon #1 Bestseller. Essar has composed original music for film and television, including Oscar-nominated films The Breadwinner (2017) and Three Songs for Benzair (2021).

Essar continues to be featured in festivals and venues worldwide, including the Newport Folk Festival, SXSW, The Kennedy Center, and Treefort Music Festival.

Kosa Kolektiv

Based in Toronto, Canada, Kosa Kolektiv is a group of singers dedicated to revitalizing traditional Ukrainian folk culture and heritage through workshops, community events, and folk gatherings. The singers have been researching old songs, attending workshops, and studying with song carriers and ethnomusicologists to bring Ukraine’s singing treasury to audiences across the greater Toronto area. The singers will be participating in the tradition of "Hukannya Vesny," where women go out into the fields and sing strident songs to call in spring from afar. These songs speak to the heavens and express the desire for warmth and life to return.