Twin cities Iranian Culture Festival
Celebrating iranian-americans’ rich cultural heritage
Upcoming Events
Voices Unveiled: A Nowruz Concert and Community Gathering
Voices Unveiled is an innovative music ensemble established in November 2022 by Ehsan Matoori, a virtuoso santoor player and accomplished composer. Collaborating with two extraordinary Iranian female vocalists, Maliheh Moradi […]
Ordway Center for the Performing Arts,
345 Washington St.
St. Paul, MN 55102
+ Google MapSt. Paul, MN 55102
Opening Reception: 2024 Twin Cities Iranian Arts Exhibition
The Twin Cities' most talented Iranian-American artists will have their work on display at our sixth annual Iranian Artists Exhibition Thursday, October 24 through Saturday, December 1 2024 at the […]
Hopkins Center for the Arts,
1111 Mainstreet
Hopkins, MN 55343
+ Google MapHopkins, MN 55343
Featured 2023 Iranian Culture Festival Presenters and Performers
- Nicky TorkzadehNicky Torkzadeh is an artist based in North Minneapolis, originally from Iran. As a kid, art was Torkzadeh’s primary interest and as she got older, she enrolled in art classes in Iran. In the U.S., she majored in architecture but later realized she didn’t want to pursue that art form. Instead, she worked in graphic… Read more: Nicky Torkzadeh
- Dan ReinDan Rein is an American musician who plays traditional Iranian instruments. He has studied classical Iranian music for over 25 years and plays music on a variety of Iranian instruments, including the setar and dutar. He also plays the dubanj, an instrument he created which is a cross between an Iranian dutar and a banjo,… Read more: Dan Rein
- Roya Nazari: Creating Powerful Art About Women’s Rights in America and IranRoya Nazari is a local artist, originally from Iran, and a student in the Masters of Fine Arts program at the University of Minnesota. Her art is often meant to ignite conversation about social issues like mental health, the environment, and women’s rights. She shared that the Women Life Freedom movement in Iran inspires some of… Read more: Roya Nazari: Creating Powerful Art About Women’s Rights in America and Iran
- Niayesh ShababiNiayesh Shababi is a guitarist and composer. A current music education major, Shababi aspires to be a performer and continue composing music. He has been playing and studying classical music for 10 years. However, his freelance work fuses styles like contemporary music, jazz, electronic dance music (EDM), and Persian music, putting a modern spin on… Read more: Niayesh Shababi
- Niccu Tafarrodi: Dioramas Inspired by Living in IranNiccu Tafarrodi Niccu Tafarrodi is an Iranian artist and a Board Member for the Twin Cities Iranian Culture Collective. Tafarrodi creates dioramas based on her memories and experiences in Iran, to highlight Iranian culture. Tafarrodi started making dioramas after visiting a museum in Chicago and seeing the art form for the first time. “I thought… Read more: Niccu Tafarrodi: Dioramas Inspired by Living in Iran
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The 2023 Twin Cities Iranian Culture Collective programs are made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.