Stormy Seas

Iranian-American composer Sahba Aminikia is also a performer and educator with a deep personal commitment to human rights causes. He is the founder and artistic director of the Flying Carpet Festival, a performing arts festival for children in war zones. In Stormy Seas, he draws on this passion to tell five true stories about young people who braved the peril of setting sail in search of safe shores. Ruth and her family board the St. Louis to escape Nazi Germany. Phu sets out alone from war-torn Vietnam. José tries to reach the United States from Cuba. Najeeba flees Afghanistan and the Taliban. Mohamed, an orphan, runs from his village on the Ivory Coast. The work is a testament to hope and courage, and an appeal to our shared humanity.