This program features two musical works which draw inspiration from traditional cultural sources, retold through a contemporary lens.

Composer Bahar Royaee and shadow puppet artist, Deniz Khateri, are an Iranian artistic duo who derive elements from their traditional and modern art forms to address contemporary issues around immigration, diaspora, and feminism. "Leylie" recounts the Persian folktale of Majnoun and Leylie, through the perspective of the female protagonist, giving Leylie a platform to reclaim her story.

This evening will also present the premiere of Hubert Ho's "Filial," in collaboration with puppeteer Anna Wang, based on the Confucian Filial Exemplars, ancient Chinese parables intended to model children’s proper behavior towards the parental generation and beyond. These texts are paired with reflections of filial identity in contemporary Asian-American experiences.

This program is supported in part by grants from the Alice M. Ditson Fund; the Aaron Copland Fund for New Music; the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency; and the Boston Cultural Council, administered by the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture​.