Meet the Composer

Composer Mark Grey will be collaborating with writer Niloufar Talebi and video artist Catherine Ownens on a new work entitled Atash Sorushān (Fire Angels), a 25 minute work for soprano, flute, clarinet, piano, percussion (one player), violin, viola, cello, and prerecorded playback. Atash Sorushān (Fire Angels) is a love story between Mana and Ahsha. Mana is the Oceanic and Persian term for the divine life force that embodies everything, and Ahsha is an Avestan and Zoroastrian term for truth/existence. Ahsha, whose realm is cleansing fire, sets out on the mythological bird Phoenix, to confront and overcome what Ahsha perceives to be the source of darkness.

World premiere: March 2011