Presented by Small World Music
In partnership with Sufi Poets Series

“What was said to the rose that made it open was said to me here in my chest.”
- Mawlana Rumi

As part of ISHQ Festival’s exploration into language and culture, the Sufi Poet Series summons you to an evening of poetry, storytelling and music. Sip on rose cardamom tea as seasoned storyteller Ariel Balevi captivates with classic, familiar tales like the Nightingale and the Rose. Listen to accomplished musicians Mehdi Rostami & Neda Mohammadpour as they extol the virtues of the rose through enchanting vocals and instrumentals. Sit with arts educator and poet, Sheniz Janmohamed, as she drops petals of poetry from the page to your heart.

About the Organization:
The Sufi Poets Series was founded by Sheniz Janmohamed in 2013 as a desire to explore the words and wisdom of Sufi poets across timelines, countries and cultures. Sufi Poets Series is dedicated to bringing spoken word artists, poets and musicians together to revive and interpret Sufi poetry through collaboration, dialogue and performance.

About the Poets/Artists:
Sheniz Janmohamed was born and raised in Tkaronto with ancestral ties to Kenya and India. A poet, artist educator and nature artist, Sheniz is a graduate of the MFA in Creative Writing program at the University of Guelph. In the last 15 years, Sheniz has presented her poetry nationally and internationally, including the Jaipur Literature Festival, Aga Khan Museum and TEDXYouth Toronto. She has three poetry collections published by Mawenzi House: Bleeding Light (2010), Firesmoke (2014) and Reminders on the Path (2021).

Mehdi Rostami is a composer, setar virtuoso, and educator born in Kermanshah, Iran. He began learning setar at the age of six and studied under master musicians, including Mohammadreza Lotfi. Since 2010, he has led cross-cultural collaborations with artists from diverse traditions, resulting in works like Melodic Circles, released internationally by ARC Music. Now based in Toronto, Mehdi blends the improvisational soul of Iranian music with global influences and teaches the art of setar to students around the world.

Originally from Tehran, Iran, Neda Mohamadpour is a vocalist deeply rooted in Persian and Middle Eastern folk traditions, which she weaves with global influences. Her singing embraces improvisation and microtonal nuances of her heritage, exploring music as both a personal and collective form of storytelling. Through fully improvised performances, Persian maqam, and reimaginings of rare vintage recordings from Tehran’s musical history, Neda seeks to reflect both the timeless and the contemporary “daily folk stories” of today’s Tehran.

Ariel Balevi is an oral storyteller who has performed in various venues in Canada and the United States including the Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC, The Rom, Aga Khan Museum and Tirgan Festival to name a few. In 2010 Ariel released with composer/ guitarist William Beauvais a CD Unspoken Dreams-Stories from Rumi. Ariel's repertoire, inspired by an interest in cross-cultural influences in storytelling, includes stories from the folklore and classical literatures of Iran and Turkey.

In-kind Sponsor: Teas by Kara

Doors open at 7PM

Ishq Festival is funded in part by the Government of Canada