Nowruz is the new year celebrated by more than 300 million people living in an area extending from the Middle East to Central Asia. According to the great Persian poet Ferdowsi, Nowruz was first celebrated by the legendary King Jamshid. Continuing from such mythical times and developing through periods in history all the way through to the present, Nowruz has become the one and only celebration to have remained unchanged in the face of wars, defeats, and changing dogmas. The date of Nowruz is the Spring equinox, on March 21 when day and night are equal in length, and is close to the heart and soul of the Iranian people. Yet Nowruz is not a special date in Iran alone; it is also celebrated in Afghanistan, Pakistan, across Central Asia, in Turkey, in Xinjiang in China, and in Dagestan in Russia. The celebration is an opportunity for dancing, singing and listening to works composed by leading musicians, for example Barbad who is one such figure. Homayoun Sakhi, an outstanding virtuoso with distinctive and charismatic musical personality and presence, will give the first concert. The celebration stands as proof of the strong links between different peoples and the cycle of seasons, expressing the generosity extended by nature to humans working the land.