Vitor Luiz to Perform in Pacific Symphony's Echoes of Freedom Nowruz Concert
Vitor Luiz and Tara Ghassemieh
UCI Dance faculty member choreographs and performs in an event honoring Iranian cultural expression
Assistant Professor Vitor Luiz of the UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts Department of Dance will choreograph and perform in Echoes of Freedom, a concert presented by Pacific Symphony and the Farhang Foundation on Saturday, April 4 at 8 p.m. at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa.
"In moments where things feel divided, I think art gives us a way to reconnect," said Luiz. "Being part of Echoes of Freedom is meaningful to me because it creates space for reflection and shared experience through music and dance."
Commissioned for the program, Luiz will premiere a new work titled Zanga alongside choreographer, dancer and partner Tara Ghassemieh. The work is set to music by Iranian-American composer Ahmad Pejman, whose passing in August 2025 the concert also honors. The title draws from the Farsi word "zang," meaning bell, evoking themes of resonance and memory.
The concert features Pacific Symphony under Music Director Laureate Carl St.Clair alongside an acclaimed international roster of artists. Echoes of Freedom is presented to honor the enduring voices of Iranians through a program of shared reflection, healing and connection.
Luiz's appearance with Pacific Symphony is one of three projects he has undertaken this season. He recently performed in the world premiere of Gilgamesh, a large-scale interdisciplinary opera with music by Derek Skye, at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Later this month, he will present IN_FLUX, a multimedia dance concert at UCI's Experimental Media Performance Lab, April 9–11, in collaboration with professors John Crawford and Lisa Naugle. The performances are free and open to the public. More information is available at arts.uci.edu/events.
Echoes of Freedom takes place Saturday, April 4, at 8 p.m. at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. For more information, visit the Pacific Symphony event page.