Hossein Omoumi Ensemble: Music and Song of Persia

Hossein Omoumi, a well respected master of ney (reed flute) returned for a performance at Seattle's Town Hall on April 19 with an ensemble of four noted artists - Paris-based Madjid Khaladj, recognized as one of the leading Iranian percussionists of his generation, string players Amir Koushkani and Naser Musa, and Pacific Northwest's own Jessika Kenney, a former student of Omoumi who is gaining increased recognition for her Persian vocals. The program included musical expressions of the poetry of Rumi and other great Sufi poets, contemporary compossitions and arrangements of popular music from the repertoire of classical Persian music.

The traditional structure of ney is deceptively simple - a piece of reed with five finger-holes and one thumb hole - but the playing technique is extraordinarily difficult. Still Mr. Omoumi made it look effortless and the instrument's highly evocative and haunting sound, described as both reminiscent of human voice and the sighing of the wind, made this performance a mystical, almost spiritual experience.

Jhumpa Lahiri reads at Seattle Public Library

Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil. My children have had other birthplaces, and, so far as their fortunes may be within my control, shall strike their roots into unaccustomed earth. - Nathaniel Hawthorne "The Custom-House"

So begins "Unaccustomed Earth", a powerful new collection of eight beautifully crafted and memorable short stories by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri, that travels from Cambridge and Seattle to India and Thailand. Her deceptively simple yet richly detailed prose reveals a glimpse into the characters' innermost journeys and intricate workings at the heart of family life. Although they reflect another culture (dealing primarily with multi-generational immigrant experience set against traditional Bengali customs), each one pulls you in and holds you mesmerized and immersed, ultimately resulting in a universal experience filled with emotional connections that cross cultural and geographic borders.

Jhumpa Lahiri gave a reading at the Seattle Public Central Library on April 14.

The Emerald City welcome the Dalai Lama

Saturday's event at Seattle's Qwest field was the largest of the five-day Seeds of Compassion conference and unlike the smaller panel discussions and workshops, it was a colorful gathering and a multicultural and intergenerational celebration. Participants included hundreds of people wearing traditional costumes representing the various cultures and traditions now living in the state of Washington , Native American elders who performed a witnessing ceremony and 1,800-member choir of parents and children singing songs of peace and compassion. But from the dozens of organizations in a resource fair beforehand to a number of speeches from the podium at the event, the emphasis was on putting compassion into action with many examples of the varying forms such action could take.

The highlight of the event was the Dalai Lama's address entitled the Heartbeat of Humanity. He urged people to use nonviolent means to resolve problems, whether at the family, community, national or international level saying that this should be a "century of dialogue." He reminded us that nonviolence is not just the absence of violence, but facing problems with determination, vision and a wider perspective, while deliberately resisting the use of force. To do that, "external disarmament" is needed, he said, advocating elimination of all nuclear weapons, but he also pointed out that people need "inner disarmament," in order not to let emotions like suspicion and fear take control. Simply praying or meditating isn't enough, he continued, compassion has to be promoted and from a young age.

Uzbekistan's Ilkhom Theatre Company at ACT

The Ilkhom Theatre Company of Tashkent, Uzbekistan (Seattle's sister city) gave a wonderful performance of White White Black Stork. The play, adapted from stories by Abdulla Kayri, deals with pain of forbidden love and forced marriage of two dreamers, both of whom do not observe the repressive patriarchal social conventions of their orthodox Muslim community, which leads to despair, family quarrels and untimely tragedy.

The play was performed in Uzbek and Russian with English supertitles. (We're used to this in opera but this was the first theatrical performance with supertitles we had attended to date.) The melodic sound of Uzbek and Russian along with the mystical and haunting lute instantly transport the viewer into a simple garden of an orthodox Muslim community in Tashkent where the story takes place.

In the words of Misha Berson of the Seattle Times theatre critic:

"White White Black Stork" is not a polemic, but rather a piece of theater with a refined and sophisticated aesthetic. Such enhancements as the simple white costuming and the beguiling original music of piping flutes and brooding chords are impressive.

And the Ilkhom acting ensemble is near-seamless. The cast's fine-tuned gestures, facial expressions and more-subtle emotional dynamics are perfected, but not studied or gimmicky.

Most striking are the ethereal beauty and naked vulnerability of the dazzling performers portraying the story's young protagonists: Said Khudaibergenov (as Makhzum) and Nigora Karimbaeva (Makhichehra). Long before the show ends, you ache with them. And long afterward, their faces haunt you.