The 15th and 16th centuries are hailed as the Golden Age of Spanish music, marking not only a flourishing period for the Spanish Renaissance masters who crafted their distinctive polyphony but also serving as a golden era for Persian and Central Asian music.

The Spanish maestros, influenced by the Franco-Flemish music prevalent at the time, intricately integrated elements from the monodic tradition, such as Cantigas de Santa Maria, along with Moorish and Muslim cultural influences pervasive in medieval Spain. Concurrently, the courts of Shah Ismail and Sultan Suleyman in the East nurtured and trained remarkable musicians, composers, and theoreticians, shaping the musical history of these regions.

Embarking on a musical journey from Sevilla to Isfahan, the collaboration between Fahmi Alqhai, a virtuoso of the viola da gamba, and his Accademia del Piacere, a leading ensemble of early Spanish music, along with Kiya Tabassian, a Persian setar master, and his renowned Constantinople ensemble, revisits the sumptuous and exceptionally rich beauty of Spanish and Persian Renaissance music.

Inspired by the ancient city bridging East and West, Constantinople, founded in 2001 in Montreal by artistic director Kiya Tabassian, has produced 20 albums on various labels, creating nearly 50 works and performing in over 270 cities across 55 countries. Regularly featured in prestigious venues and festivals worldwide, including Salle Pleyel in Paris, the Berliner Philharmonie, Rencontres musicales de Conques in France, Festival de Carthage in Tunisia, and the Onassis Cultural Centre Athens, Constantinople enjoys acclaim from audiences, music professionals, and critics alike.

The group's program, in collaboration with Accademia del Piacere, promises a captivating exploration of Spanish and Persian Renaissance music.