The Smith College Department of Music, Department of Religion, and Middle East Studies Program present Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat in concert with guest artist Bridget Kibbey on Sunday, March 31 at 3 p.m. in Sweeney Concert Hall. The internationally celebrated Iranian singers, composers, and activists Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat are known for their deep connection to heritage and innovative musical expression. They have invited world-renowned harpist Bridget Kibbey to perform with them at Smith College in a collaboration that blends the intricate Persian textures of modes, melodies, and poetry with the evocative improvisations of the harp. The free Easter Sunday concert does not require tickets and is part of a week-long residency that includes a talk at the UMASS Fine Arts Center, classroom visits, and workshops.

Together and separately, Marjan and Mahsa Vahdat have developed pedagogical expertise teaching classical Persian singing to Iranian and non-Iranian students. Their work is known for its deeply affective lyrics rooted in traditional and contemporary Iranian poetry and music drawn from regional traditions of Khorasan and Lorestan as well as religious music from Armenia. Both have contributed to the empowerment of Iranian women by encouraging them to give voice to their life experiences and are role models for many young Iranian women singers in post-Islamic Revolution Iran. Today they live in exile in the Bay Area (Mahsa) and Sacramento (Marjan), California. Extraordinary harpist Bridget Kibbey, called “the Yo-Yo Ma of the harp (Vogue Magazine),” dives deep into historic narratives—from the Baroque, to the French Belle Époque to Persian Modes, to Nuevo Latino traditions—while resonating within the vanguard of the new.

The Vahdat Sisters and Bridget Kibbey invite audiences to explore with them a musical landscape that transcends boundaries and languages, embracing the beauty of diversity and the universality of human sentiments through their wide-ranging repertoire during the Sunday concert. The week-long residency is a great opportunity to experience the rich and diverse culture of the Middle East, with its interconnectedness of religion, music, and poetry and to gain a deeper understanding of how societies negotiate crucial issues through songs and music, turning these media into platforms for social activism and change. The public can hear Mahsa and Marjan in conversation as part of the UMASS Codemakers series on Friday, March 29 at noon at the UMass Fine Arts Center.

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