MTO Zendeh Delan Ensemble: Sufi Music, Samāʿ, and Poetry

This musical gathering invites audiences into an immersive exploration of Sufi music, poetry, and samāʿ as a lived practice of remem​​brance and inner listening. Rooted in Persian musical traditions and shaped by contemporary expression from across the world, the evening unfolds as a collective reflective journey rather than a conventional musical event.

The gathering is carefully structured as a held space for attentive listening, where sound, rhythm, breath, and silence work together to cultivate presence. Drawing inspiration from classical Sufi poetry and teachings, the music and movement presented serve as displays of practices for inward reflection, offering insight into themes of love, unity, transformation, and the human search for meaning.

Rather than requiring prior familiarity, the gathering welcomes listeners from all backgrounds, inviting each person to engage in their own way and at their own depth.

Free and open to the public. The concert is also available via livestream at this link. 

This performance, held in Marquand Chapel (409 Prospect St., New Haven), serves as the conclusion of the ISM symposium "Sufism & Music: Lived Practice, Diverse Sounds, and Inaudible Links." All are welcome to attend either the symposium or performance portions, or both.

This event is convened by ISM fellow Payam Yousefi. Co-sponsored by the ISM and the Yale Program in Iranian Studies at the Council on Middle East Studies.

Contact: Eric Donnelly

Program notes:

Zendeh Delan explicitly describes their creative practice as outward manifestations of dhikr and samāʿ — Sufi practices of remembrance and spiritual listening. Sometimes referred to as presentations or spiritual performances, each event presents Sufi art and culture as a public display of practice rather than performance.

This evening’s program offers a selection of pieces from various works. Much of the program draws from their 2024 work Journey of Love, inspired by the timeless Sufi tale of Layla & Majnun by Nizami Ganjavi (d. 1209). From this work, pieces such as “Majnun,” “Layla,” “Reflection,” “Love’s Beat,” “Soul of Souls,” and “Remember God” draw on contemporary Sufi poetry to echo the profound themes of unbounded love and spiritual transcendence at the heart of Layla & Majnun. Each piece is guided by English and Persian poetry of Sufi masters Professor Sadegh Angha and Professor Nader Angha, embodying the living spirit of the Sufi tradition—unbound by repetition or fixity, and renewed through continuous creativity and development.

Throughout the presentation, pieces such as “Yearning for Love,” “Reflection of the Heart,” “Hoo Hagh,” and “Circle of Love,” among others, represent creative arrangements of the Sufi practice of dhikr (remembrance). These works draw directly from the melodies and rhythms of this practice that is characterized by collective chants of sacred phrases, prayers, and poetry. In these pieces, invocations such as “Hoo Hoo Allah Hoo” and “La elaha ellallah” form musical structures that inspire unifying sonorities between the santur, guitar, piano, kamancheh, daf, and voice.

Samāʿ —a practice of spiritual audition—accompanies many of the pieces. In this practice, one listens with full attention to the heart while circling that central point in remembrance. The composed pieces are further separated by moments of sāz-o-āvāz, a central practice for the presentation of Sufi poetry. In sāz-o-āvāz, singer and instrumentalist enter a spontaneous musical conversation where each verse unfolds in an affective musical mode that corresponds to the poem. In this free-meter singing, the melodies emerge from poetic syntax, allowing the teachings to shape the musical affect. Rooted in meditative listening, this dialogue reflects the Sufi ideal of full presence (ḥāl), a heightened state of awareness from which inspiration (vajd) may arise.

“Kiyam Man,” offers a creative live reinterpretation of a sound art piece from the Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO® based in Chatou, France—“the first museum in the world entirely dedicated to Sufism.” Originally featured in the dome of MACS-MTO, the soundscape from this installation acts as a sonic canvas for the members of Zendeh Delan to interpret the words, phrases, and poetic meter of Professor Sadegh Angha’s poem “Who am I” (Kiyam Man) using voices and instruments. The soundscape, designed by prominent sound artist and composer Kerwin Rolland, evokes a sound shower that offers a sonic space for such creative engagement. Performed, alongside the closing pieces, the work is an exemplar of musical remembrance, as the rhythm of each line of the poem is invoked through the instruments on stage, each time reflecting individual inspirations that harmoniously unify in sonic oneness.

MTO Zendeh Delan Ensemble Bio:

Zendeh Delan, meaning awakened hearts, is a music and samāʿ ensemble formed by students of Sufism who share their lived inner experiences through sound, poetry, and remembrance. The ensemble's unique sound speaks to the diversity within the group, drawing from Persian musical traditions, Western classical music, popular idioms, and other styles spanning the globe. As an anchor that brings together this eclectic musical sound, the ensemble presents music as a living spiritual practice grounded in love, unity, and awareness.

Since their first presentation at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London in 2014, where the ensemble offered a profound evening of Sufi music, dhikr and samāʿ, Zendeh Delan has continued to present their work internationally in distinguished cultural settings. Most recently they have been featured at prominent artistic exhibitions such as La Bourse de Commerce in Paris, The Musée d'Art et de Culture Soufis MTO® in Chatou–the first museum in the world entirely dedicated to Sufism–, Asia Now, and the Rumi Fest hosted by the Irfan Medeniyeti Aristirma Merkezi (IRFA)  in Konya,Turkey. Further, they present their work at interfaith gatherings, festival stages, and academic venues across Europe, North America, and Asia