march 19, 2011: celebrated nowruz at the memorial art gallery today. the program was called “persepolis: culture carved on stone.” we were introduced to the history of persepolis and to its rich traditions. the music was especially stunning. jamilya arzanesh (piano) and kitty cheung (violin) played music from iran and turkmenistan. murat tekbilek (darbuka) and hassan isakkut (kanun or santoor) played music from turkey, azerbaijan, syria and kazakhstan. thunderous applause and standing ovations. music followed by persian sweets and tea. congrats to all the organizers, especially my friends shahin and debora.