Persian New Year Concert

• Coffeehouse x Persian Students Association
• March 26th, 9pm
• Coffeehouse (East Campus)
• DukeGroups Link

Join the Duke Persians in welcoming Sarah Khatami and Shayan Kay to perform at the Coffeehouse on March 26, 2022 at 9pm for Nowruz (Persian New Year). 
Sarah Khatami is a singer/songwriter based in Brooklyn, NY. Growing up in Pittsburgh, PA, Sarah was influenced heavily by her older sisters’ collection of late ‘90s-early ‘00s R&B/pop CDs, and her parents’ collection of Persian music cassettes. As her personal sound developed, she found a way to blend the soul of ‘90s-‘00s R&B with the intricate vocal runs heard in Persian music. In January 2020, Sarah and her all-woman band, The Shirzans, released their debut EP, “Hunt,” receiving high praise from the notable music publication, Earmilk. Currently, Sarah works for Education Through Music, a non-profit that aims to provide under-resourced public schools in NYC with music programming. She is also in the process of recording her debut album. 
Shayan Kay is an Iranian singer-songwriter and producer currently based in Los Angeles, California. He started his career as a self-taught musician in his teenage years within the Tehran underground music scene, playing guitar, writing songs, producing and performing Persian rock music. Shifting into writing in English, he later created the “Karyonn Project,” which was a series of intimate acoustic performances in private houses and venues around Tehran, including the Austrian Culture Forum (ÖKF) in Tehran. Due to continuous censorship and roadblocks, like restrictions on live performances and recorded music imposed by the Islamic Republic state in Iran, he moved to the United States to attend Berklee College of Music and continue his career. While attending Berklee, he has cultivated his skills as a producer and has performed various live shows in the Boston area, including at Harvard University, Berklee Performance Center, and WMFO Radio 98.5 FM. As a producer and writer, he has been influenced by a diverse range of music, from Blues, Soul, R&B and Hip-Hop to Rock, Folk and even Traditional Persian music from his roots. Shayan’s own music blends these influences together to create something that is unique and personal, while universal and relatable.