elshan ghasimi

10
Jun
2025
Exhibition Opening Tomorrow | Elshan Ghasimi live (June 14 & 20, Berlin)

Exhibition Opening Tomorrow | Elshan Ghasimi live (June 14 & 20, Berlin)

Dear friends,

June brings a dense sequence of remarkable encounters – musical, artistic, and intellectual. Two concerts by Elshan Ghasimi invite us into very different spaces: a hidden summer garden in the heart of Neukölln, and the cool vastness of KulturKirche Nikodemus. And already tomorrow evening: a reminder of the exhibition opening At the Threshold : Exile at Kommunale Galerie Charlottenburg.

We’re looking forward to seeing you there.

I. Two Berlin Concerts by Elshan Ghasimi

June 14, 2025, 8:00 PM
Gärtnerhaus
Richardstraße 34, 12043 Berlin-Neukölln
With percussionist Joss Turnbull
Followed by a garden gathering
→ Reservations via Carlo: +49 173 84 17 451 (donation-based)

©Madeleine Brunnmeier_Bild ©Morgan_Gestaltung

©Madeleine Brunnmeier_Bild ©Morgan_Gestaltung

June 20, 2025, 7:00 PM
KulturKirche Nikodemus
Nansenstraße 12, 12047 Berlin

The fourth and final evening of the series
TASNEEF – Old Songs, New Life

The Persian musical tradition is steeped in history and intimately intertwined with poetry, philosophy, and collective memory. Tasneef (lit. “song”) refers to a genre within classical Persian art music – neither popular (Taraneh) nor political (Soroud), but a contemplative dialogue between verse and sound.
Elshan Ghasimi brings this form into the present: blending traditional modes with elements of pop and folk music, she gives them a contemporary voice.

→ All upcoming concerts: elshanghasimi.com

 

II. Reminder: TOMORROW EVENING – Exhibition Opening

At the Threshold : Exile

Exhibition: June 12 – September 7, 2025
Opening: Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 6:00 PM
Kommunale Galerie Berlin
Hohenzollerndamm 176, 10713 Berlin

Curated by Eleonora Frolov
With works by Sergey Bratkov, Ben Greber, and Atalya Laufer
→ Exhibition Info

 

Warm regards,
Julian Malte Hatem Schindele

Workshop wird gefördert von:

Posted by Joseph in News
06
Mar
2025
Elshan Ghasimis “Tasneef. Ancient Songs, New Life” from March to June 2025

Elshan Ghasimis “Tasneef. Ancient Songs, New Life” from March to June 2025

Dear Listeners,

We warmly invite you to experience Elshan Ghasimi’s first song cycle, Tasneef, presented in four concerts from March to June. The series begins with an evening concert at the Catholic Academy in Berlin on March 17.

Thanks to the generous support of the Berlin Senate, all concerts are free of charge. What a country, what a cultural space that makes this possible!

From the press release:

The Persian musical tradition is deeply rooted in history, poetry, philosophy, and cultural identity. One of its most fascinating forms is the Tasneef. In classical Persian art music, the term means song and stands in contrast to popular songs (Taranee) or political songs (Soroud). Tasneef represents an intimate fusion of music and poetry. Elshan Ghasimi reinterprets this tradition by incorporating elements from pop and folk music, reshaping it and elevating it into the sphere of classical music.

Elshan Ghasimi Tasneef 2025 Poster

© Madeleine Brunnmeier_Photo | © Masoud Morgan_Design

While preserving the foundation and structure, she simultaneously deconstructs and reconstructs the form, intervenes in the poetic language, politicizes some of these songs, and, for example, swaps gender roles. Colloquial expressions are transformed into formal language. In this way, Elshan Ghasimi fuses classical and contemporary elements of Persian music and poetry into an amalgam shaped by millennia, bringing these ancient songs to new life.

Deeply rooted in the Radif tradition—the orally transmitted repertoire of Persian music passed down through centuries—she not only keeps this musical heritage alive but also makes it accessible to a new, international audience.

Concert Dates

Elshan Ghasimi – Tasneef
📅 Monday, March 17, 2025
🕗 8:00 PM
📍 St. Thomas von Aquin (Catholic Academy), Hannoversche Str. 5, 10115 Berlin

Elshan Ghasimi – Tasneef
📅 Sunday, May 4, 2025
🕔 5:00 PM
📍 Hochmeisterkirche, Westfälische Str. 70a, 10709 Berlin

Elshan Ghasimi – Tasneef
📅 Sunday, May 25, 2025
🕒 3:00 PM
📍 Waldkapelle, Waldstraße, 12589 Berlin

Elshan Ghasimi – Tasneef
📅 Friday, June 20, 2025
🕖 7:00 PM
📍 KulturKirche Nikodemus, Nansenstraße 12, 12047 Berlin

🎟 Free admission

ℹ️ More Info:
WEBSITE
INSTAGRAM

 

Supported by:

Senatsverwaltung für Kultur und Gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhalt
Posted by Joseph in News
05
Feb
2025
Elshan Ghasimi & Wu Wei | The Reinterpretation of the Radif

Elshan Ghasimi & Wu Wei | The Reinterpretation of the Radif

Dear Readers,

First and foremost, on behalf of the Bublitz platform, I wish you a New Year blessed by your chosen god, goddess, or entity! A year that has already unfolded with wild intensity, its further turbulence pressing upon us with an uneasy weight. Why are we Europeans so unsettled? Without question, we lack a sense of identification and connection with the deeper cultural structures that have shaped us. And, in turn, we lack a firm footing in time and space. In the past, one might have spoken of metaphysical homelessness. We have severed our roots, and technology only accelerates the process, while our brains—still wired for the open steppe and the sabre-toothed tiger, as neurophysiologists remind us—struggle to adapt.

A pressing question remains: what can we, as Europeans—whether left, right, or centrist democrats—agree upon? We must find our Marianne, our shared foundation. What can we take pride in? What defines our cultural self-understanding? Pride—a term our parents’ generation deconstructed with historical good reason, yet one we find ourselves needing once again. To lift our heads, to meet danger at eye level (B. Brecht). We must never cede our history to the extremes, and so we must learn not to despise it. Call it patriotism, or call it a connection with what is good and given—a quiet trust in its enduring presence.

The Temple of Time by Emma Willard, 1851—A historicist gem.

The Temple of Time by Emma Willard, 1851—A historicist gem.

Pallas Athena is the patron of Elshan Ghasimi’s Radif renewal.

© Georg Stirnweiß. Pallas Athena is the patron of Elshan Ghasimi’s Radif renewal.

Europe is a radiant beacon of global cultural renewal! Nowhere else do so many high-cultural creative energies and encounters unfold with such intensity.

It is a profound achievement that our continent has become a home for artists and cultural practitioners from across the world. Europe stands as a platform for freedom, diversity, and the rebirth of cultures in exile—this is soft power in its purest form.

Artists from countries such as Iran, Ukraine, or Russia find in Europe the space to realise their visions and to breathe new life into their cultural traditions from afar.

On Wednesday, 12 February 2025, from 18:00 to 20:00, the Humboldt Forum will host a musical dialogue. The renowned Chinese instrumentalist Wu Wei (Sheng) and the Persian virtuoso Elshan Ghasimi (Tar) will perform together for the first time. Both are members of the Sabdagatitara network, shaping a musical exchange that interweaves diverse cultural traditions into a singular, evocative tapestry.

Furthermore, on Sunday, 23 February 2025, at 16:00, Elshan Ghasimi invites you to the Emmaus Church Community in Zehlendorf for her long-term project, The Reinterpretation of the Radif—a concert cycle that draws the deep cultural and musical traditions of Persia into the present moment.

One final aspect I wish to bring into this brief outline: let us once again seek identification with the deep cultural roots of pan-European heritage. What does this mean in concrete terms? That we are all, in a sense, Greeks—for what could be more enriching than seeing ourselves reflected in Sappho, Newton, Marcus Aurelius, or Hildegard? Let us celebrate ourselves and our history. Let us celebrate together.

Join us in celebration.

With warm regards,
Julian Malte Hatem Schindele

SHORT INFO

 

SabdaLab12 – Time Thief of the Silk Road

Date: Wednesday, 12 February 2025
Time: 18:00 – 20:00
Venue: Humboldt Forum, Berlin
Meeting Point: 18:00 – 18:15 in the larger courtyard (Schlüterhof), in front of the museum shop
Admission: Free
Artists: Elshan Ghasimi & Wu Wei
More info: SabdaLab12 – Time Thief of the Silk Road

 

The Reinterpretation of the Radif

Date: Sunday, 23 February 2025
Time: 16:00
Venue: Emmaus Church Community
Address: Onkel-Tom-Straße 80, 14169 Berlin
Contact: Tel.: 030 813 4008
Admission: Free
More info: Elshan Ghasimi – Concerts

Click on the photo to access the recording of Dastgah-e Shur—one of the twelve modal groups that form the Radif.

© Madeleine Brunnmeier. Click on the photo to access the recording of Dastgah-e Shur—one of the twelve modal groups that form the Radif.

Posted by Joseph in News