Musical mosaic: A mini-Rumi concert with celtic colour

Call it P.E.I.'s first mini-Rumi concert, with a liberal dash of celtic colour: Persian-Celtic Fusion is on offer Friday night at the Irish Cultural Centre, also known asBIS Hall in Charlottetown with harp music and poetry.

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Charlottetown harpist and singer Lana Quinn the celtic part of the program will play with renowned Persian multi-instrumentalist Saeed Foroughi from Halifax. P.E.I. author and poet laureate Deirdre Kessler will recite Rumi poetry with Foroughi's musical accompaniment.

"It just has a really relaxing and quiet sound," said Quinn of the harp, who fell in love with the instrument about 16 years ago and was inspired by Canadian singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt.

Rumi was a poet and philosopher born in 1207, and was a mystic whose work has lived on as generation after generation continued to find meaning in his words.

'Beyond words'

"The scholars say there's no grammatically figuring him out, because he's beyond words," said Kessler of Rumi.

"I think it's a fitting thing for a poet laureate to read aloud and to read across centuries too," Kessler added.

Cellist Yo Yo Ma started a festival of concerts to honour Rumi and his work in 2009 on the 800th anniversary of the mystic's death, part of the Ma's Silk Road Project. Foroughi founded the Halifax Rumi Ensemble that has been playing Rumi concerts for several years.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at the door.

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