TEHRAN -- Tehran is set to host a broad program of music, theatre and visual art this week as Iran’s Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance marks Unity Week and the 1,500th anniversary of the birth of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon Him) with the multidisciplinary arts program “Narrative of Mercy” (Revayat-e Rahmat).
The program will run from August 26 to 29 in the open-air grounds of Tehran City Theater, with performances scheduled from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. 
It is being organized in cooperation with the ministry’s artistic institutions and affiliated organizations, Tehran Municipality’s District 11 and Beautification Organization, and the Art Bureau of the Islamic Development Organization.
The program combines street and ritual theatre with traditional and regional Iranian music, storytelling, percussion and visual art. Among the featured performers is Dafafan, a daf ensemble, alongside naqqāli storytelling and performances by regional and traditional music groups. Workshops will focus on painting, calligraphy, illumination (tazhib) and conceptual art.
The program will conclude on August 29 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Vahdat Hall, with an invited audience including ambassadors from Muslim-majority countries, representatives of religious minorities, artists, cultural figures and members of the press. The Tehran Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Homayoun Rahimian, will perform with the regional ensemble Sazineh.
Tehran’s concert calendar this week also features several projects involving young musicians and performers, spanning Western classical repertoire and Iranian traditional music.
The Paytakht youth orchestra is scheduled to perform at Roudaki Hall on August 28 at 8 p.m. under conductor Mahmoud-Reza Mirsiafi, with pianist Amir Hamidiyeh as soloist.
The program includes works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven. Shahram Tavakoli is the orchestra’s artistic director, while Sadaf Shahabi is responsible for music notation and executive affairs. The concert poster was designed by Sara Shahab.
At Azadi Tower, the Paytakht academic orchestra, whose musicians are under 15, will perform with the children and youth choir on August 26 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.
The orchestra will be conducted by Muhammad-Hussein Ebrahimzadeh and will feature violinist Katayoun Khaksar as soloist. The project brings young instrumentalists together with a children’s and youth choir as part of a program focused on developing the next generation of Iranian classical musicians.
Ghazal Salarbehzadi leads the Paytakht children and youth choir, with Negin Vatani and Ava Ahmadizadeh serving as choir conductors. Tavakoli is the orchestra’s artistic director, Shahabi handles music notation and executive affairs, and Shahab designed the poster.
The program continues on August 31 at 7 p.m. at the Arasbaran Cultural Center, where the Parva Ensemble will present “Hamhamah.”
The concert centers on Dashti, one of the modes of the Persian classical music tradition. The performance features vocalist Seyyed Mohsen Husseini and composer and tar player Muhammad-Reza Azizi, who is also the project’s musical director. An album titled Hamhamah is due to be released around the concert.
The ensemble includes Behdad Kiafar on santur; Hossein Rouzbehani on tar; Omid Hayati and Sahar Darvish on kamancheh; Muhammad Joozi on oud; Anita Sadeghi on bass tar; Muhammad Moshfegh and Ali Abdi on ney; Hassan Azadeh-Far on tombak; and Samin Shariati on daf and bendir.