Iranian-descended composer and singer Galeet Dardashti performs Monajat (Fervent Prayer), an evening of Middle Eastern musical poetry. Recited as a means of reflection and spiritual preparation, these lyrical gems are traditionally sung during the month preceding the Jewish New Year. Dardashti reinvents Persian melodies and Hebrew texts with electronic soundscapes (including recordings of her grandfather Yona Darsdashti, a cantor and renowned master singer of Persian classical music) and dynamic video projections designed by Dmitry Kmelnitsky.

The Foundation for Jewish Culture and its presenters have selected Monajat as the premiere commission of a six-city tour through the New Jewish Culture Network, an initiative to bring music and other art forms to various cities throughout the US.

The Boston premiere is presented by the Boston Jewish Music Festival, the New Center for Arts & Culture, and the Tufts University Music Department. The program is made possible, in part, through the generosity of the Bavly, Gann and Saunders families.