A fusion of musical cultures is making its world premiere in Columbus this week.
“Silk Road Journey: An Evening of IndoPersian Music” is scheduled to be performed 8 p.m. Friday at Lincoln Theatre.
“Silk Road Journey” will feature an ensemble of mainly-Ohio musicians, including a husband and wife pair.
Vocalist Utpola Borah said the group prides itself on uniting Indian and Persian cultures.
“We want to bring everyone together and show them the similarities of these different cultures,” said Borah, who is originally from India. “We wanted to bring the history and music to a different area.”
Despite having what some might consider to be a different kind of sound than what they’re used to, Borah said she believes this music will get a great response.
“People love it,” Borah said. “They find it different but enjoy the different perspectives.”
The performance will be divided into three different sections, starting with an Indian classical feel, moving into Iranian music and finishing with a fusion of the two.
Hans Utter, Borah’s husband and a music lecturer at OSU, organized the project, and will play the sitar in the performance.
“It has been a lot of work, but my favorite part is definitely seeing my vision come together and actually happen,” Utter said.
Utter said he attributes much of his inspiration to his experience with music at OSU and elsewhere.
“My biggest inspiration was the diversity of musical styles I have been exposed to and my vision to bring all these different things into one performance,” he said.
Behzad Karimnamazi, a fifth-year in music composition, said he is excited to have been invited to fuse these musical styles together.
“Our language is music and we want to show that music transcends these boundaries,” said Karimnamazi, a multi-instrumentalist in the show.
Karimnamazi also said he’s optimistic that the show will be a success.
“We are hopeful that we can draw people from all backgrounds and different age groups,” he said.
Utter said he wants to see large numbers of people come out and enjoy what he believes will be a revolutionary event in the music industry.
“It is going to be a world premiere of a unique and inspiring musical event,” Utter said.
Tickets are $13 for students and $26 for adults. The Lincoln Theatre is located at 769 E. Long St.
