NOWRUZ-E SIAVASHAN
A Storytelling and Musical Performance
Tuesday - March 17, 2026
Richmond Hill Centre of the Performing Arts
Presented by: BaTo Cultural Organization Inc.
Nowruz, the ancient Iranian celebration of renewal and light, is deeply intertwined with the timeless tale of Siavash, the purest and most innocent hero of the Shahnameh. Siavash represents integrity, sacrifice, and unjust suffering; values that continue to resonate across generations.
In ancient traditions, a few days before Farvardin, people mourned Siavash, who was believed to have passed through fire on a black horse, symbolizing purity and endurance. With the arrival of spring, mourning turned into celebration as Nowruz was embraced as a symbol of rebirth and hope, as if Siavash had passed through the flames and been born anew.
This storytelling and musical performance brings together the art of Shahnameh-khani and live music to revive this powerful narrative and connect past and present, pain and renewal.
The program is dedicated to supporting Iranian artists and students whose lives and work have been deeply affected by recent events in Iran. Many have faced cancellations of their artistic projects and disruptions in their studies and livelihoods. Through this event, we stand beside them as a community to honor their resilience and remind one another of the strength born from unity and culture.
Meet The Team
Writer & Actress: Banafsheh Taherian
Vocal Director and Singer: Milad Bagheri
Composer & Pianist: Homa Samiei
Singers: Saba Zameni, Tara Rafieipour
Clarinet: Yalda Ehsani
Choreographer & Performer: Anooheh Booryaee
Dance Performers: Anahita Nayebi,
Elmira Sharbaf Kashani, Mina Zaghari
MC: Pegah Ganji
Planner: Bidmeshk Events
Stage Director: Morvarid Alinejad
Backstage Manager: Kaveh Farhadi
Translator: Farshid Sadatsharifi
Stage assistant: Nasrin Khatam
Videography team: Tehranto Times
Visual Artist: Mohammad Mirzadabbagh
Graphic Designer: Sogol Zameni
Banafsheh Taherian is a dynamic and multi-talented creative, known for her work as a bilingual (Farsi-English) actress, voice artist, and writer, with additional experience as a director and emcee. With over a decade of experience in the arts, she has captivated audiences on stage and screen, in podcasts, and at major cultural events across North America. Her podcast Chai with Banafsheh, which reimagines ancient Persian stories, has garnered over 4 million streams, attesting to her storytelling power and cross-generational appeal. Banafsheh also brings warmth and presence to her work as a wedding officiant, crafting heartfelt ceremonies that reflect each couple’s unique spirit. She was the 2021–22 artist-in-residence with Canadian Stage and has enjoyed sold-out success with her stage adaptation of Nezami’s Khosrow and Shirin. Whether moderating high-profile events like Tirgan or voicing animated characters on TVOKids, Banafsheh’s versatility and charisma continue to make her an unforgettable force in the creative world.
Milad Bagheri is a Toronto-based vocalist and music producer. Milad Bagheri was born in Kermanshah, Iran. His musical palette blends traditional and contemporary elements, drawing deeply from his expertise in Kurdish and Traditional Persian music to create a distinctive and culturally rich sound world. Milad has collaborated with a wide range of artists and ensembles across diverse musical genres. In 2015, he made his operatic debut performing the role of Zaal in the operetta Roudabeh, produced by the Ayrik Opera Ensemble at Roudaki Hall in Tehran. He is the co-founder and lead vocalist of Chaam (formerly Chaam Trio), an ensemble dedicated to creating new music inspired by Iranian folklore. He has performed with the VanChoir Orchestra under the baton of Leslie Dala in Vancouver, in a concert honoring composer Esfandiar Monfaredzadeh and featuring original works by Sepehr Hojat and Amir Eslami. Milad’s debut album, The Confidant (Ham Khalvat), was recently released worldwide. He has also collaborated with composer Homa Samiei as a featured vocalist in Clap… Hum… Rise., a performance exploring Iranian folk traditions, presented at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Canadian Opera Company.
Homa Samiei is a Toronto-based composer, pianist, educator, and artistic director born in Tehran, Iran. Her work bridges Persian musical heritage with Western classical and contemporary practices, creating interdisciplinary performances rooted in cultural dialogue and storytelling. She holds a Master’s degree in Community Music from Wilfrid Laurier University and a Master’s degree in Music Composition from the University of Toronto. Her compositions have been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, reflecting her ongoing commitment to innovative cross-cultural music creation. Homa is the co-founder of Chaam Project (formerly Chaam Trio) and Chaam Art Centre, through which she collaborates with artists internationally to develop experimental and community-engaged musical projects. As a pianist and composer, she has performed internationally with Najva Ensemble and released her debut album Raha (Free) in 2015. Her works have been presented at international festivals including the Lucca Contemporary Music Festival and Tehran Contemporary Sounds, and performed by ensembles such as the International Contemporary Ensemble, Thin Edge New Music Collective, and the University of Toronto Wind Symphony. Her composition Mooyeh premiered in 2023 with the University of Toronto Wind Symphony, and during her composer-in-residence appointment with the University of Toronto SA Choir, she premiered The Bird Was Just the Bird. Samiei is currently one of the composers of the IFCA Collective Opera, funded by the MAP Fund and Opera America, and a Musician in Residence at the Heliconian Club. She also participates as a composer in Opera From Scratch in Halifax, where her monodrama The Light Remains will premiere. In addition to her compositional practice, she is an active curator and performer. She served as curator, composer, and pianist for Clap… Hum… Rise., a multidisciplinary performance exploring Iranian folk traditions presented at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre at the Canadian Opera Company. Her curatorial projects including Promise of Freedom, Flourishing Moment, and Sound of Iran, demonstrate her commitment to fostering artistic collaboration and cross-cultural exchange.
Saba Zameni is a Toronto-based Iranian singer-songwriter who began her musical journey at the age of 12, learning from her mother and studying at the Conservatory of Tehran. She explores the fusion of Persian traditional music with genres like jazz, Sinti jazz, blues, indie, and rock, creating a sound that reflects both her roots and contemporary influences. Leading the band IN GIBBERISH, she continues to experiment with these styles, shaping a distinctive musical identity. Saba faced numerous challenges in Iran, including being imprisoned for singing in public as a woman. During the Mahsa Amini revolution, she released a politically and socially charged song “Bizaram az Din-E shoma” that went viral, garnering over 13 million views. It became a symbol of the movement, inspiring people around the world to perform it.
Anooheh Booryaee is a choreographer and performer with over a decade of experience, blending traditional Persian dance with contemporary movement. Her work is rooted in storytelling, weaving emotion, culture, and modern expression into fusion choreographies that carry meaning and narrative. Through an artistic and human-centered approach, she creates performances that explore identity, connection, and inner transformation.