The highly acclaimed Iranian musical phenomena, Homay and The Mastan Ensemble return to the Walt Disney Concert Hall on August 16, 2009 at 7 p.m. to perform another exceptional collection of the latest compositions by Homay, with symphony arrangement by Maestro Shardad Rohani. During the first part of this program, the Ensemble will perform an operetta, written by Homay, inspired from the story of ‘Moses and The Shepherd’ by Rumi (Mowlana) written in Aarefan e Raaz by Dr. Mahmoodi Bakhtiari. The part of ‘Moses’ will be performed by the well-known and talented Iranian singer, Soley Vaseghi, ‘The Shepherd’ by Homay and the
third character, ‘Raavi’ or ‘The Storyteller’ by the published author and award-winning journalist, Homa Sarshar. The operetta will be followed by several masterpieces by Maestro Rohani. In part two of this concert, the latest compositions by Homay and Maestro Rohani will be performed by the Ensemble.
“These
were mesmerizing performances that produced a euphoric goodwill in the
listener, a feeling that lingered long after departure from the concert
hall.” LA Times-July 2008
Since early 2009, Parvaz Homay
has been banned by the Iranian government officials to perform any of
his musical pieces publically in Iran. This is especially difficult
for Homay, since he is a true patriot to his motherland Iran
and its people and lives through his music. One of his latest
compositions is a very special piece called “Sarzamin e Be Karan” or
“Boundless Land”, with symphony arrangement by Maestro Rohani, dedicated to the people of Iran. The August 16th performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall will be his first public concert since The Mastan Ensemble’s final concert series in Homay’s
hometown in northern Iran, which took place during eight consecutive
sold-out evenings, attended by their devoted local Iranian fans,
consisting of all ages, five to eighty-years old; specially the youth
inspired by Homay’s music and talent.
During their 2008 U.S. and Canada Tour, The Ensemble preformed at some of the most renowned stages, including Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Strathmore in Washington, D.C. and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto, Canada. The 2009 U.S. Tour will once again include venues such as Lincoln Center in New York City and of course Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Homay
strives to collaborate with accomplished artists and musicians, both
inside and outside of Iran and prides himself in always setting the bar
higher in bringing innovation into his music, showcasing the Iranian
classical music in the global world music scene, to gain the
recognition it deserves. He has many other unique musical projects and
collaborations in mind, which he hopes to bring to fruition, if
permitted.
Homay and The Mastan Ensemble
will continue their U.S. and Canada Tour, following the Los Angeles
performance in other cities, including: San Francisco, Seattle, San
Diego, Houston, Dallas, New York, Washington, Chicago, Louisville,
Atlanta, Toronto and Vancouver. Tour details may be found at www.csiarts.com
Media
inquiries are encouraged to further share the message of these talented
artists globally, who have overcome many obstacles to be able to pursue
their passion, and have traveled to the United States with the help of
supporters of the Persian traditions and music. Sample of their music
is available upon request.
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www.HomayMastan.com
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About Homay & The Mastan Ensemble
Founded
in 2005 by Parvaz Homay, The Mastan Ensemble has become one of the most
prominent traditional Persian music ensembles in Iran. Only in his
twenties, Homay is an exceptional classical artist who composes, writes
his own lyrics, sings and produces his music. His ensemble consists of
eight highly proficient Iranian musicians. As their first U.S.
performance, Homay and The Mastan Ensemble presented a sold-out concert
at the Walt Disney Concert Hall on July 3, 2008, followed by many
others in various U.S., Canadian and European cities. Homay, who
follows the path of some of the greatest Iranian poets, writes poetry
and lyrics that carry global political and social messaging of peace
and harmony. Rhythmic, uplifting and mesmerizing, The Mastan Ensemble
plays traditional Persian music in a way that has never been heard
before. |
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www.ShardadRohaniMusic.com
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About Shardad Rohani
With
an international reputation as a conductor and composer, Mr. Rohani is
one of the most sought after, successful conductors on the music scene
today. Educated at the Academy and Conservatories of Music in Vienna,
Austria, Mr. Rohani has been the recipient of several important
scholarships and awards both in Europe and United States. These include
the A.K.M Scholarship, Vienna, Austria, and the ASCAP Scholarship, Los
Angeles, California. Mr. Rohani is the music director and conductor of
the COTA symphony orchestra in Los Angeles. He has appeared as a guest
conductor with a number of prestigious orchestras including, the London
Royal Philharmonic concert orchestra, Minnesota Symphony orchestra,
Colorado Symphony, San Diego symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, New
Jersey Symphony, Zagreb Philharmonic and the American Youth Symphony
and others. Mr. Rohani conducted an open-air concert with the London
Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra in the Parthenon, Athens, Greece.
This concert was acclaimed by both critics and audience and became the
most widely viewed program ever shown on Public Television in United
States. |
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www.SoleyMusic.ca
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About Soley Vaseghi
Soleyman
Vaseghi was born into a family with many generations of involvement
with Sufism. He began his formal musical education by joining the Opera
Choir at the Roudaki Opera Hall. He was introduced as "Soley" on
National Iranian Radio and Television when he was a student of
Sociology at the University of Tehran. He then began composing his own
music. He also undertook extensive research in Persian literature,
poetry, and different styles of music. Before he left Iran in 1986, he
produced several albums in the so called "New Age" style albums for the
international audience. This music was inspired by the teachings of
Sufism and incorporated the poetry of the great Sufi masters, such as
Rumi, Hafez, Roudaki, and Sohrab Sepehri. His albums, Vaghe (The
Incident); Ab (The water), and Rangin-Kaman (The Rainbow) are the
results of this journey. Soley joined the Lian Ensemble in 2002,
initiating his involvement within the Persian Classical music. |
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www.HomaSarshar.com
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About Homa Sarshar
Homa
Sarshar is a published author and an award-winning journalist, writer,
media personality, and lecturer. She is the author of four books and
the editor of twelve other volumes, including five volumes of the
Iranian Women's Studies Foundation Journal, four volumes of The History
of Contemporary Iranian Jews, and In the back alleys of exile book on
tape. Her latest book Sha’ban Jafari was the number one bestseller
Persian book in Iran and abroad in the year 2003. Throughout her
42-year career with Iranian print, radio, and television, Sarshar has
done more than 1500 interviews and has produced and anchored as many
radio and TV program. She has also produced a collection of twenty
video documentaries on exiled Iranian writers, poets, and artists, some
of which has been acquired by the Library of Congress. Sarshar has
received numerous awards for her work, including the Medal for Special
Achievement in Women's Rights, given by The Iranian Women's
Organization of Tehran, Iran; Journalism Award: Distinguished Iranian
Women by The Encyclopaedia Iranica, and Commendation for community
affairs services by County of Los Angeles. Sarshar was born in Shiraz
on 1946, raised in Tehran and earned a BA degree in French literature
from Tehran University and a Masters Degree in journalism from the
Annenberg School of Communications at the University of Southern
California and an honorary Ph.D. degree in Journalism from American
World University. |
