BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — A recital to mark the Baha'i new year (Naw-Ruz) here attracted a distinguished audience of business leaders, diplomats, academics, teachers, musicians, government officials, and other community leaders.

Prominent Austrian violinists Martha and Vahid Khadem-Missagh performed at the Austrian embassy in the historic Mozart hall where a plaque notes that the great composer played there when he was six-years-old.

Organized by the Baha'i community of Slovakia and the Austrian Cultural Forum of Bratislava, the concert to celebrate Naw-Ruz (which falls on March 21) was held on 30 March 2004.

A welcome from the cultural attache at the Austrian embassy Susanne Ranetzky was followed by an introduction by the internationally prominent Slovak violinist, Peter Michalica.

"These two young artists bring you a spiritual message which is very much in line with my thinking," Mr. Michalica said.

Martha and Vahid Khadem-Missagh, who are sister and brother, are both prize-winning musicians who perform internationally and who have recorded their own albums.

The performance featured works by Charles de Beriot, Louis Spohr, and Werner Pirchner. Mr. Khadem-Missagh told the audience that he and his sister had once visited the late Mr. Pirchner, and that they were inspired to choose his composition because it symbolized the development of the human being through the different stages of life.

The Khadem-Missaghs are both artists-in-residence with Allegro Vivo, the International Chamber Music Festival in Austria. It was founded by their father, Bijan Khadem-Missagh, who is its artistic director. He is an internationally distinguished violinist, recording artist, and conductor and the recipient of Austrian cultural awards.

The three Khadem-Missaghs are members of the Baha'i Faith and all three performed at the May 2001 opening of the majestic garden terraces of the Shrine of the Bab at the Baha'i World Centre on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel.

After the Naw-Ruz concert, 100 copies of Das Musische als Lebensweise, a book on music by Bijan Khadem-Missagh, translated into Slovak, were presented to members of the Slovak Radio Orchestra on behalf of the Slovak Baha'i community.

The orchestra has recorded and toured with an international Baha'i choir, the Voices of Baha.

For more information on the Khadem-Missaghs see

http://www.allegro-vivo.music.at/.

For more on the Baha'i community of Slovakia, see

http://www.bahai.sk/.

The English language newspaper, The Slovak Spectator, published a report of the concert. It can be seen at

http://www.slovakspectator.sk/clanok-15736.html.