Fanoos Ensemble

Fanoos Ensemble, formerly known as Heart of Afghanistan, features four musicians from the world-renowned Fanoos family unable to perform inside their home country, where the Taliban has banned all music.

The ensemble features renowned Afghan vocalist Ahmad Fanoos and his two sons, Elham on piano and Mehran on violin, and family friend Sohail Karimi on tabla, now all living in the United States.

They perform songs on traditional instruments in the Afghan classical style, at the crossroads of Persian poetry, Hindustani rhythms, Central Asian and Western harmonies, and improvisation. The program includes folk songs, traditional ghazals based on the poetry of Rumi and others, and popular songs from the legendary midcentury-era Afghan singer Ahmad Zahir.

The Joyfull program will feature a presentation about Nowruz (“new day,” the Persian spring equinox festival) by Storai Jalali. The menu will be catered by Kabul Plate.