In a celebration of Kurdish culture, Contemporary Opera Berlin has embarked on a special endeavour, following the success of their previous festivals “Female Voice of Iran” and “Female Voice of Afghanistan.” This time, the focus is on the vibrant Kurdish community with “Female Voice of Kurdistan”.
Through a combination of cinematic portraits, live concerts, and a virtual festival on their YouTube channel, Contemporary Opera Berlin aims to capture the essence of Kurdish culture. The project, led by Yalda Yazdani and Andreas Rochholl, took them on a journey across various regions of Kurdistan, where they documented the lives and stories of eight talented female singers.
The cinematic portraits highlight the unique voices and experiences of these singers, representing the four main regions of Kurdish culture. From Northern Kurdistan (Bakur in southern Turkey), the festival presents Berfin Aktay and Sakina Teyna. The talents from Southern Kurdistan (Başȗr, the autonomous Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq) are Kawyar Hadi and Wajeda Khero. The Western Kurdistan (Rojava in eastern Syria) segment features Jinda Kanjo and Sîdar Ibrahim, while Eastern Kurdistan (Rojhelat in western Iran) is represented by Sahar Lotfi and Hani Mojtahedy.
Contemporary Opera Berlin has been actively exploring innovative performance formats even before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, expanding their reach into the digital realm. The previous festivals, “Female Voice of Iran” and “Female Voice of Afghanistan,” garnered significant attention, attracting over 5 million viewers on their YouTube channel.
The music festival will take place on 24 and 25 June. Tickets for the live performances can be purchased online via the Elisabeth Berlin website or at the box office.
Contemporary Opera Berlin invites viewers to visit their YouTube channel where the virtual festival will be accessible.