PHOTO:
© Christian Schäfer
Houbara - Resonanzen Iran 2026
Sa, 30. Mai 2026, 19:00 -
So, 31. Mai 2026, 22:00
Stadtgarten
Köln
In the organizer's words:
19:00 I Festival I Concert Hall + JAKI
The two-day music festival Houbara - Resonances Iran celebrated its premiere in 2023, inspired by the women-life-freedom movement. The fourth edition in 2026 also sees itself as a place for exchange, encounters and shared experiences. In light of the current destructive regional war and the brutal repression and internet blockade by the Iranian regime, it is of utmost urgency to provide a platform for current contemporary voices from the region. The aim is to honor the authoritative heritage of Iranian and Kurdish culture and art in order to stimulate discussion and raise awareness.
Houbara is dedicated to artists and ensembles who challenge genre boundaries, creating and exploring their own sound worlds. A meeting space for musical explorations, feminist perspectives and cross-border listening experiences - between experiment and tradition, between personal expression and political statement. This year, curator Sophie Emilie Beha and co-curator Mona Matbou Riahi are focusing on contemporary and boundary-breaking music that touches, connects and opens up new ways of listening. Houbara sees itself as an invitation to listen together, exchange ideas and discover new perspectives.
The festival opens on Saturday, May 30, with contemporary compositions by Iranian students from Tehran, which were created especially for the Cologne-based Quater Ensemble. Arefeh Hekmatpanah and Marco Blaauw (Ensemble Musikfabrik) will then focus on the current sound possibilities of the trumpet and feedback, exploring new, experimental forms of expression. The first evening will conclude with a rousing performance by Kurdophone, in which Kurdish and Iranian musical traditions are powerfully and vividly interwoven.
On the following day, Sunday 31 May, the ensemble Chakâm continues this dialog: named after an ancient Persian poetic form, it unfolds a musical language of string instruments 'talking' to each other, finely nuanced sound prose and intense arcs of tension. Avin Ahmadi transforms the Green Room into a floating, intimate world in between with her poetic songs. At the end of the festival, the Delaram Kafashzadeh Quintet will present a concert that is as poetic as it is energetic - firmly rooted in jazz and at the same time deeply connected to the classical Persian heritage.
The concerts will be framed on the first day by a panel discussion curated by korsi collective and on the second day by a short film program curated by Visions of Iran.
The houbara, by the way, is an Iranian endemic migratory bird that is threatened with extinction. The title also refers to "The Conference of the Birds" (منطق الطیر) by Fariduddin Attar - a great mystical poem that is one of the most important works of Persian literature. It describes the pilgrimage of thousands of birds of the world in search of an ideal king. In the end, thirty birds remain - and realize that they themselves are the king they are looking for.
// Day #1
Korsi panel: Monita Wagma (moderator), Quater Ensemble: Shaghayegh Shahrabi (oboe, english horn), Carlota Ramos (double bass), Liga Korne (piano), Rita Couto Soares (drums), Arefeh Hekmatpanah & Marco Blaauw: Arefeh Hekmatpanah (composition, live electronics), Marco Blaauw (trumpet), Kurdophone: Amir Ahmadi (piano), Sarvin Hazin (kamanche, violin), Omid Darvish (vocals, tanbur), Helene Glüxam (double bass), Amir Wahba (percussion)
Korsi panel: Monita Wagma (moderator), Quater Ensemble: Shaghayegh Shahrabi (oboe, english horn), Carlota Ramos (double bass), Liga Korne (piano), Rita Couto Soares (drums), Arefeh Hekmatpanah & Marco Blaauw: Arefeh Hekmatpanah (composition, live electronics), Marco Blaauw (trumpet), Kurdophone: Amir Ahmadi (piano), Sarvin Hazin (kamanche, violin), Omid Darvish (vocals, tanbur), Helene Glüxam (double bass), Amir Wahba (percussion)
// Day #2
Iranian Short Films: Choreographies of Resistance: Ghasideh Golmakani (curation), Ensemble Chakâm: Sogol Mirzaei (târ), Marie-Suzanne de Loye (viola da gamba), Eleanna Pitsikaki (qanun), Avin Ahmadi (oud, vocals), Delaram Kafashzadeh Quintet: Delaram Kafashzadeh (compositions, lyrics, vocals), Pedro Mendes (piano), Pedro Nobre (drums), Kyle Kalebdjian Clark (guitar), Arin Keshishi (bass)
This content has been machine translated.
Iranian Short Films: Choreographies of Resistance: Ghasideh Golmakani (curation), Ensemble Chakâm: Sogol Mirzaei (târ), Marie-Suzanne de Loye (viola da gamba), Eleanna Pitsikaki (qanun), Avin Ahmadi (oud, vocals), Delaram Kafashzadeh Quintet: Delaram Kafashzadeh (compositions, lyrics, vocals), Pedro Mendes (piano), Pedro Nobre (drums), Kyle Kalebdjian Clark (guitar), Arin Keshishi (bass)
Price information:
22 €/12 € reduced Advance booking Please note: Advance booking fees may apply depending on the provider. 25 €/15 € reduced Box Office Festival ticket 32 €/18 € erm. Advance booking Please note: Depending on the provider, advance booking fees may apply. 36 €/20 € reduced. Box Office
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