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A woman comes into a cozy courtyard behind a small West Los Angeles house, joining a few others sitting there, some smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, some drinking tea from glasses. Petite, demure, bespectacled, she says little more than a curt acknowledgment of an introduction to a new arrival, though a warm smile and sparkle to her eyes show that she's friendly and welcoming, just perhaps shy.

You'd never guess that this woman is one of the giants Persian classical and folk music. Sima Bina looms large over a challenging, male-dominated field for her intensive research into centuries of traditions spanning the dozens of regions and dozens more language dialects of what is now Iran, as much as for her affecting and entrancing voice, even if she's keeping it largely silent at the moment.

A few minutes later, though, the voice is heard in all its power and confidence as she rehearses with the others, members of the L.A.-based Lian Ensemble, all Iranian expatriates and arguably the preeminent Persian group in the US. Together they're preparing for a landmark North American concert tour and recording project that began in late May and continues into late June, focusing on the music and words of early 20th century composer-poet Aref Ghazvini, whose m... >>>