The Black Fish Project is a cross-genre creation by Iranian-Canadian composer Keyan Emami composed for string quartet, clarinet, double bass, percussion, and electronics. In production since 2019, the performance is based on the iconic Iranian children’s story The Black Fish, which tells the story of a fish who wants to know what lies on the other side of his pond. Despite being cautioned and ridiculed for his curiosity, he embarks on a life-changing journey, learning just as much about himself as he does about the world around him.

This performance explores the story of the little fish through the lens of its own protagonist Emami, who draws on his experiences as an immigrant who left his native land of Iran. The soundtrack fuses western classical music, jazz, Arabic maqam music, and fleeting Iranian modal music. All these elements come together to tell the story of the Black Fish through Emami’s unique musical language. The Little Black Fish is the story of any living being that is striving to free itself from its own limitations and discover the world.