As Los Angeles welcomes the arrival of spring, Farhang Foundation marks Nowruz with a citywide celebration rooted in renewal, artistry, and the enduring power of women’s voices. This year’s signature event, “Light Always Prevails,” takes place Sunday, March 8 at UCLA’s Royce Hall, uniting two generations of internationally acclaimed female vocalists for a rare and historic collaboration.
Nowruz, meaning “new day,” is the ancient Iranian New Year observed on the vernal equinox — a moment when winter yields to light. For more than a decade, Farhang Foundation has honored the season through its international Nowruz Banner Design Contest, transforming Los Angeles into a public canvas. Over 600 street banners line major boulevards across the city each year, signaling the arrival of spring.
The 2026 design features the mythical Ghonghnoos, a legendary Persian bird rising from her own ashes. The image reflects themes of rebirth, continuity, and resilience — central to Nowruz and to the communities who celebrate it worldwide.
Two Generations of Female Vocalists Share One Stage
At the heart of the season is the concert at Royce Hall, presented in collaboration with the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and the Gramian–Emrani Center for Iranian Music at UCLA. The program brings together Maestra Parissa, widely regarded as one of the most influential Iranian classical vocalists of the past half century, and Golda Zahra, the Los Angeles–born soprano praised by the Los Angeles Times as a rising star of her generation.
Parissa’s career spans decades of dedication to Persian classical music, shaped by her study of the revered radif repertoire under masters Abdollah Davami and Mahmoud Karimi. Zahra, trained internationally with deep roots in operatic tradition, makes her Persian-language stage debut during this performance — bridging musical forms and generations in a single evening.
Their collaboration unfolds on International Women’s Day, aligning with Women’s History Month and underscoring the central role women have played in preserving and elevating musical traditions across time.
Both artists perform alongside the Iranshahr Orchestra — the first Iranian orchestra established outside of Iran — under the direction of composer and conductor Shahab Paranj. The program features works composed exclusively by Iranian composers, reflecting a wide spectrum of musical voices and styles.
Farhang Foundation continues its Nowruz season with virtual programming and its landmark banner installation across Los Angeles, reinforcing a simple message carried throughout the city this spring: renewal is collective, and light endures..
For more information and to get tickets, visit farhang.org
Location: 10745 Dickson Court, Los Angeles
Photo credits: Photo courtesy of Farhang Foundation
