Free

Niyaz has created a 21st century global trance tradition by seamlessly blending medieval Sufi poetry and folk songs from their native Iran and its surrounding countries in the Persian Gulf, with rich acoustic instrumentation and state‐of‐the‐art modern electronic music. In this conversation, the artists will talk about the roots of their work and engage in a larger exploration of the long and storied history of Iranian American immigration. 

This is part of a weeklong brownbag lunch conversation series with Niyaz. 

Band members will discuss the eighth‐century Muslim saint who served as the inspiration for their latest work, Rabia al‐Basri, who set forth the doctrine of Divine Love and non‐duality, which today lies at the heart of Sufi mysticism. They will discuss the shared, but eventually diverging, histories of Islam and Sufism to explore the similarities and differences between the two.  

This is part of a weeklong brownbag lunch conversation series with Niyaz. 

Musicians Azam Ali and Loga Ramin Torkian, who the  Huffington Post calls “an evolutionary force in contemporary Middle Eastern music,”  will discuss their latest work, The Fourth Light Project. The conversation will be recorded for distribution on the podcast, Hancher Presents.  

This event is free and open to the public and attendees are encouraged to bring their lunch.

This panel discussion will include Christopher Wheeldon, one of the most sought-after choreographers working today. Award-winning scenic designer Julian Crouch will also be on the panel, as will Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and Joffrey dancer April Daly.

Presented by the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies and Hancher

Jennifer Buckley will facilitate a conversation with Taylor Mac about Taylor's work as a playwright, director, actor, drag performer, and activist. It will focus on Taylor's newest piece, A 24-Decade History of Popular Music and the decade 1846-1856, titled Walt Whitman vs. Stephen Foster: Songs Popular Near Breaking Point.

Learn to write an authentic Mexican "corrido" in this free, two-hour workshop with Juan Dies, co-founder of the GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY Nominated Sones de Mexico Ensemble. By the end of this workshop the class will have written an original song in corrido form. The corrido is a 150-year-old Mexican ballad tradition that narrates tragic tales based on true events and honors folk heroes. Learn about the history of this tradition and the rules for writing the poetic lyrics of these captivating songs.

Enjoy dinner or a drink at Frida Kahlo Mexican Restaurant and hang out with Las Cafeteras—a band on a mission to share their unique blend of music and activism. The band will be hanging out for a couple hours, talking about their music, and maybe even playing a few songs.

Join the Pacifica as members work with University of Iowa chamber music students on works by Dvorak and Dello Joio.

Running time: 1.5 hours

Join the members of the Pacifica as they share their story of how they built an international career in chamber music.

Running time: 50 minutes

Human life depends on the availability and quality of water to sustain our health, grow our food, power our homes with electricity, and stimulate our economies. This discussion of water resources management will feature artists from the Nile Project and University of Iowa scholars. The panel discussion will focus on how political boundaries and cultural practices impact sustainability efforts.

Panelists include: