FLOR takes the stage for two unforgettable performances of flamenco, where movement and music intertwine in a vibrant celebration of this dynamic art form and the Maine community that brings it to life.

This is more than a performance—it’s a gathering of community, tradition, and artistry. Witness the culmination of a full season’s dedication as FLOR’s artists create moments of connection that will resonate long after the final note.

Each show will feature live and local dancers, singers, and musicians weaving stories through deep song, masterful guitar, driving percussion, and the striking expressiveness that defines flamenco.

Dancers: FLOR Community Ensemble & FLOR director Lindsey Bourassa

Guitar: Behzad Habibzai

Singers: Brian Evans, Meghan Habibzai, and Chriss Sutherland

FLOR Community Ensemble

Accompanying Musicians & Singers

Guitarist

Behzad Habibzai

Behzad is a music composer and flamenco guitarist. He began playing drums and classical percussion at 10, maintaining a busy schedule performing orchestral, jazz, punk rock, at rock clubs and symphony halls. At 14 he discovered flamenco guitar, going on to portray flamenco forms in performances with several international artists. Having worked regularly as a drummer, percussionist, and flamenco guitarist, he set his sights on the world of orchestration – entering the world of film music. Habibzai has already lent his voice to several films and documentaries, helping film makers tell stories. Behzad's flamenco album ‘Bosquejos’ (2020), and released singles can be found on most digital streaming platforms. Behzad often collaborates with his wife, Meghan Pilar Habibzai.

Singers

Brian J. Evans

Mixing disciplines, mixing professions, and mixed race, Brian J. Evans unpacks the “moments of suspension” that reside in the spaces between spaces—convinced that connections exist between us all and it is the responsibility of the Arts to remind us to be holistically human, lest we forget. Courageous vulnerability and intentional equity keep him aloft as he finds ways to give back and add to the communities, mentors, and ancestors who blazed trails and continue to do so! Brian believes it is the responsibility of the Arts to rediscover existing connections within humanity.

Meghan Pilar Whittier Habibzai

Meghan is a vocalist, arranger, composer and conductor. Her experience in choral music, art song, opera, musical theater, jazz, and bluegrass have resulted in performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Capitol Lawn in Washington, D.C., the Spanish Embassy in Madrid, and many others, as a soloist and ensemble artist. She was a member of the Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band from 2007-2019 and performed in the 48 contiguous states, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Meghan had her choral arrangements sung on National tours by the Soldiers’ Chorus, including her reimagining of the “Coventry Carol” at Baltimore’s Lyric Theater. Meghan met renowned Spanish composer Antón García Abril in 2012 at the Escuela Supérior de Canto in Madrid, and sang in masterclasses led by the composer in 2012 and 2013. She gave a recital in his honor at the Spanish Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, D.C. in 2016, and released a solo vocal recording titled “Canciones de Antón García Abril” in 2020, accompanied by pianist R. Timothy McReynolds. Meghan gave a lecture recital and masterclass on Spanish art song at University of Southern Maine’s Osher School of Music in 2024. Frequently collaborating with her husband, flamenco guitarist and composer Behzad Habibzai, they perform concerts featuring Spanish canciones and flamenco music, most recently at Blue in Portland, Maine. Meghan also released two instrumental compositions: “Salut Nuages” and “Spring in Winter”, for piano, violin, and cello. For more, visit meghanhabibzai.com. 

Chriss Sutherland

Although new to cante Flamenco, Chriss Sutherland has been a musician for thirty five years working with groups such as Cerberus Shoal, Fire on Fire, Olas, and SNAEX. He brings a reverence and curiosity to cante Flamenco as well as a desire to unlock his inner door to unleash the emotional burden within. Chriss is also a father, a partner, and a public school teacher.

Thank you to our sponsors!

In-Kind Event Sponsor

Event Sponsor

Season Sponsors

FLOR takes the stage for two unforgettable performances of flamenco, where movement and music intertwine in a vibrant celebration of this dynamic art form and the Maine community that brings it to life.

This is more than a performance—it’s a gathering of community, tradition, and artistry. Witness the culmination of a full season’s dedication as FLOR’s artists create moments of connection that will resonate long after the final note.

Each show will feature live and local dancers, singers, and musicians weaving stories through deep song, masterful guitar, driving percussion, and the striking expressiveness that defines flamenco.

Dancers: FLOR Community Ensemble & FLOR director Lindsey Bourassa

Guitar: Behzad Habibzai

Singers: Brian Evans, Meghan Habibzai, and Chriss Sutherland

FLOR Community Ensemble

Accompanying Musicians & Singers

Guitarist

Behzad Habibzai

Behzad is a music composer and flamenco guitarist. He began playing drums and classical percussion at 10, maintaining a busy schedule performing orchestral, jazz, punk rock, at rock clubs and symphony halls. At 14 he discovered flamenco guitar, going on to portray flamenco forms in performances with several international artists. Having worked regularly as a drummer, percussionist, and flamenco guitarist, he set his sights on the world of orchestration – entering the world of film music. Habibzai has already lent his voice to several films and documentaries, helping film makers tell stories. Behzad's flamenco album ‘Bosquejos’ (2020), and released singles can be found on most digital streaming platforms. Behzad often collaborates with his wife, Meghan Pilar Habibzai.

Singers

Brian J. Evans

Mixing disciplines, mixing professions, and mixed race, Brian J. Evans unpacks the “moments of suspension” that reside in the spaces between spaces—convinced that connections exist between us all and it is the responsibility of the Arts to remind us to be holistically human, lest we forget. Courageous vulnerability and intentional equity keep him aloft as he finds ways to give back and add to the communities, mentors, and ancestors who blazed trails and continue to do so! Brian believes it is the responsibility of the Arts to rediscover existing connections within humanity.

Meghan Pilar Whittier Habibzai

Meghan is a vocalist, arranger, composer and conductor. Her experience in choral music, art song, opera, musical theater, jazz, and bluegrass have resulted in performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, the Capitol Lawn in Washington, D.C., the Spanish Embassy in Madrid, and many others, as a soloist and ensemble artist. She was a member of the Soldiers’ Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band from 2007-2019 and performed in the 48 contiguous states, Puerto Rico, and Spain. Meghan had her choral arrangements sung on National tours by the Soldiers’ Chorus, including her reimagining of the “Coventry Carol” at Baltimore’s Lyric Theater. Meghan met renowned Spanish composer Antón García Abril in 2012 at the Escuela Supérior de Canto in Madrid, and sang in masterclasses led by the composer in 2012 and 2013. She gave a recital in his honor at the Spanish Ambassador’s Residence in Washington, D.C. in 2016, and released a solo vocal recording titled “Canciones de Antón García Abril” in 2020, accompanied by pianist R. Timothy McReynolds. Meghan gave a lecture recital and masterclass on Spanish art song at University of Southern Maine’s Osher School of Music in 2024. Frequently collaborating with her husband, flamenco guitarist and composer Behzad Habibzai, they perform concerts featuring Spanish canciones and flamenco music, most recently at Blue in Portland, Maine. Meghan also released two instrumental compositions: “Salut Nuages” and “Spring in Winter”, for piano, violin, and cello. For more, visit meghanhabibzai.com. 

Chriss Sutherland

Although new to cante Flamenco, Chriss Sutherland has been a musician for thirty five years working with groups such as Cerberus Shoal, Fire on Fire, Olas, and SNAEX. He brings a reverence and curiosity to cante Flamenco as well as a desire to unlock his inner door to unleash the emotional burden within. Chriss is also a father, a partner, and a public school teacher.

Thank you to our sponsors!

In-Kind Event Sponsor

Event Sponsor

Season Sponsors