Languages, borders, nationalities. We nowadays live in a world that makes us believe we are different from one another. And if that wasn't enough, media and politics sow division even further, feeding hostility and hatred from one human being towards another. Separation, however, is an illusion. Music is the best example to trace humanity's inherent essence of mixed-and-mingledness: sound doesn't know borders, as anybody with a noisy neighbour knows. Melodies, instruments, snatches of songs carried in the minds and mouths of travellers...music is a living breathing proof of our oneness. The Ansan is a manifestation of this unity.

The Ansan is an initiative called into being by Siamak Moghaddam, revolving around the concept and practise of unity in diversity. Music, Moghaddam believes, is the best diplomate, since it's a language we are all equally fluent in - the language of the heart, not the head. As founder and leader, Moghaddam plays together with a dynamically changing collective of musicians connected through sound, language, culture, and deep friendship. Attempting to bridge artificial political divides through art, members originate from Iran, Israel, India, and the US, each contributing rhythms, vibes, and timbres from their respective homes to create a unique and exciting fusion sound. 

Iranian singer and instrumentalist Siamak Moghaddam, founder, director, and composer of Ansan, weaves Persian poems into songs at times meditative and melancholic, at times erupting with joy and vibrancy. A globe-spanning group of improvisers joins him in his explorations of music and poetry, each expert in a different musical tradition: from the melodic lyricism of the Arab oud played by Israeli musician Doron Furman, and Middle Eastern percussion by fellow-Israeli Matan Goldstien, to the Bansuri flute played by Vijay Kannan from India, Ansan's musical heritage is decidedly a mixture of all that's good from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. And if that wasn't creative enough, bass-player Hans Bilger from the States adds vibes from his own musical upbringing in American genres including jazz, blues, country folk, and gospel. 

In Persian, Ansan means “the other way.” True to its name, the artists of this collective meet at a bustling musical crossroads to contest official narratives of friend and foe – and then take a different path altogether. This is is an invitation to tune into the finer shades, to listen for what resonates between the lines. Join us on this journey.