Event Info
A World of Music
Fundraising concert with a rich mixture of music and cultures
Wed. July 22nd + Add to Calendar
St. Philip Anglican Church, 2928 Eastdowne Road (All Ages)
7:00pm - 9:00pm Doors at: 6:00pm
By Donation
Event Description
A rich variety of Balkan and Eastern European folk, Persian classical, and Arab pop and folk — a journey across continents in one evening, featuring:
Steluța, a ‘stellar’ quartet playing a constellation of musical styles from Balkan and Eastern European folk dances, to a bit of Celtic, to some distinctive original tunes with a splash of classical influence.
Irâj, an Iranian-Canadian quartet playing Persian classical music with vocals and traditional instruments ney (flute), tar and setar (stringed instruments).
Douglas Hensley, composer and instructor at the Conservatory, who is playing with all three groups, as guitarist with Steluța and on oud as a special guest with Irâj and Jordie and Habbous.
Jordie and Habbous, Syrian-Canadian duo on oud and vocals performing Arab folk and pop.
The concert is raising money to sponsor a Syrian refugee family coming to Victoria. The sponsorship group must raise $42,450 by July 31, 2026 for the application to keep moving forward with the Canadian government. They are now well on the way to that goal with less than a month to go.
There are a variety of ways to donate, some of which allow you to receive a charitable tax receipt. You can donate directly by cheque or online through the Inter Cultural Association.
Please be sure to specify your donation is for Constituent Group CG236-26.
https://welcometovictoria.com/#donate
At the concert, it is possible to donate using both cash and cards.
More about the performers:
Steluţa ("little star"in Romanian) features: Martina Peladeau (flutes, recorders, voice) who studied in Germany and later became the sound of West Coast flute on the rocky shores outside of the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino; Kate Rhodes (violin, viola, accordion, voice) who played in the Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Victoria symphonies, and brings a flair of virtuosity to the group’s repertoire; Douglas Hensley (guitars, oud, composer) who plays Renaissance to Persian to Classical and is a guitar instructor at the Victoria Conservatory of Music; and Alex Olson (basses, mandolins, percussion, composer ) who is also a long-time Victoria Symphony member and a veteran of many local folk ensembles.
Irâj: Persian classical music from Iran.
Davoud Jafari Gharieh Ali: Ney (Persian flute)
Tayebeh Adami Bafghi: Tar (Persian six stringed instrument)
Keyvan FerdosBahrampour: Vocal
Azar Mirzaei: Setar (Persian four stringed instrument)
With special guest Douglas Hensley: Oud
The group chose Irâj as its name. Irâj is a small village in the heart of Iran’s Central Desert, a place that has held a special and almost magical significance for each of its members.
During one of their stays there, Tayebeh and Davoud composed a musical piece and named it Iraj. While the full story is long and fascinating, in essence, Iraj became the place where the four musicians first came together and began living as a community. It was there that Keyvan and Azar embarked on their musical journey under the mentorship of Tayebeh and Davoud.
Years later, they found themselves living together in Canada, continuing to pursue music and grow as artists through the guidance and support of their mentors. For the group, Irâj symbolizes the beginning of their shared journey, and they chose to carry that spirit forward in the name of their ensemble.
Douglas Hensley
Trained as a classical guitarist at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Douglas Hensley also studied with a number of prominent lutenists and classical Persian masters. He has performed and/or recorded on various types of guitar and lute, as well as oud, setar, mandolin, etc. with such ensembles as the Continuum Consort, Anima Medieval Music Duo, Big Speck, Ensemble Laude, the Victoria Symphony and Pacific Opera Victoria, and is an on-going member of the Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, the quartet Steluţa, the trio Three Rivers, and the classical Persian ensembles Daryâ and Irâj. In May of 2022, his improvised banjo playing for a documentary about the work of his sister Jennifer Heller, Earth to Art: Basketmaker, was a Finalist in the Best Original Music Award at the Oregon International Documentary Film Festival. He has commissioned and premiered over 70 new works by composers from many different countries, and teaches privately and at the Victoria Conservatory of Music.
Jordie and Habbous (oud and vocals) are a Syrian-Canadian duo whose performances of Arabic folk, pop and sacred music have won over audiences since they arrived in Victoria with their three children in Victoria as refugees in 2016. Now Canadian citizens, Jordie and Habbous continue to give back to good causes in the community by performing at numerous fundraisers and events.
Venue
St. Philip Anglican Church, 2928 Eastdowne Road
In-Person Event
