
In 2019 the VI International Festival of Oriental Art and Music “RUMI FEST” featured a range of cultural events.
The organizing society made every effort to let the event become a joyful occasion, and gives their thanks to all the participants and guests of the festival, who helped to make the festival unforgettable. A very special thank you to our partners for their support of the Festival! That was a holiday for everyone!
And now we will try to tell about the “RUMI FEST” this year more in detail.
The VI Festival of Oriental Art and Music “RUMI FEST” was opened with the Ebru Art exhibition. The exhibition presented art works by the special guest from Turkey – Ozden Aidin, students of the studio EBRU RĪGA, pupils of the gymnasium “Maxima”, wards of Riga social care and rehabilitation centre (SARC) branch “Kalnciems”, who are studying and practicing the art of Ebru. That amazing exhibition and master classes under the guidance of Ozden Aidin opened a new page in cultural exchange between Latvia and Turkey, gave a chance to touch the ancient culture of the oriental country.
For more information about the exhibition please search here.
Ozden Aidin’s master classes and workshops were held from 5 until 10 May. The program included a training seminar for children, a training seminar for adults, master classes of Ebru and an in-depth study of Ebru technique. The master classes of Ebru were open for everyone interested in this ancient art of drawing on water. Ozden Aidin was very pleased and enthusiastic in showing a lot of interesting and sophisticated Ebru techniques. Visitors could work individually and under the master’s guidance.
The main events of the Festival took place in September, just before the birthday of Jalaluddin Rumi. This year “RUMI FEST” presented art projects and tandems of musicians and artists from various countries, who united specially for the festival “RUMI FEST” and made concert programs that open new approaches, new dimensions and combinations of musical styles and art genres.
Day 1 – 26/09/2019.
The musical part of the Festival was opened with the concert by the Turkish dance virtuoso Alper Akçay accompanied by the trio of Iranian musicians “Hamdam”. Alper Akçay is a multigenre artist, he demonstrated his mastery dance improvisation based on ancient mystical Sufi rituals, original pieces of choreography, combining whirling and dance. “Hamdam” plays the repertoire of compositions based on poems by the greatest Sufi poet and philosopher Jalaluddin Rumi. Lyrical and entrancing mix of Rumi’s poetry, sounds of Ney (reed flute), played by one of the world best Ney players Dariush Rasouli, completed by Iranian Daf and Kurdish Lute enchanted the audience. The concert venue was the hall of the Riga Latvian Society House.