Freer Gallery to Honor Rumi
In honor of the 800th anniversary of the birth of Rumi, the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C. will offer a full day of music, food and poetry on Saturday, Oct. 27, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. The Freer will join a long list of distinguished institutions that have celebrated the poet’s birth, including a United Nations declaration of 2007 "International Rumi Year;" a three-day international conference hosted by the University of Maryland, and an upcoming honor at the 2007Academy Award (Oscar) ceremonies.
The event will include a Gallery Tour reading of Rumi and other poems by Palestinian-American poet Naomi Shihab Nye; a traditional Sufi musical preformance with Iranian-born composer and virtuoso on the Persian santur (hammered dulcimer) Kazem Davoudian, Afghan-born vocalist and harmonium virtuoso, Humayun Khan, vocalist Lida Saeedian, and percussionist Behfar Bahadoran; a youth poetry reading; readings of Rumi accompanied by Persian musicians; refreshments and children’s activities.
The event is made possible with support from Koç Holding. For more information and an itinerary of the days, events, visit the Freer Gallery website.
