ACCOMPANIED BY NAGHMEH FARAHMAND
Sahba Motallebi is an award-winning, modern virtuoso of the tar and sitar, lute-like stringed instruments central to one of the world’s great musical traditions. She began studying music as a young girl in Sari, Northern Iran. Shortly after graduating from the Tehran Conservatory of Music, she co-founded a groundbreaking women’s music ensemble and later joined the Iranian National Orchestra, beginning her career as an international performer. She left Iran in 2003 to pursue graduate studies, closed to her there because of her faith. Sahba is also recognized as an innovator in the teaching of Persian music; her pioneering efforts putting instructional materials on the internet and teaching students online have inspired something of a renaissance in the transmission of this ancient art form, reflecting her commitment to bringing music to the world.
Naghmeh Farahmand, the daughter of one of Iran’s leading percussionists, Mahmoud Farahmand, grew up surrounded by music in a full house of drums. She started playing the tonbak when she was six under the supervision of her father, and was encouraged to learn a melodic instrument to gain insight into the melodic aspect of music, as this would make her a better accompanist. So she started playing the santur under the guidance of Faramarz Payvar and Pashang Kamkar. Besides learning traditional music, Naghmeh found the daf to be very powerful and spiritual and began learning Sufi and Kurdish rhythms from Bijan Kamkar and Masoud Habibi. She has performed in many well-known traditional ensembles in Iran and at festivals around the world, and was honored to perform with ney master Hassan Nahid and famed vocalist Hengameh Akhavan. In 2010, she moved to Canada and started working with musicians in world music and jazz. She is the founder of the Sharghi percussion ensemble.
The stars—and initiatives—aligned for two of Miami’s premier presenting organizations to bring forth this rare event. MDC Live Arts, with Ojala/Inshallah: Wishes from the Muslim World season, is designed to explore the diversity of Muslim culture through the arts and challenge widespread assumptions concerning contemporary Muslim identity. The Rhythm Foundation’s Axis of Love series, injects positivity and empathy into the global conversation through presenting instrumental, traditional and innovative sounds from the conflict zones of the Middle East and Africa.
In an immersive environment, the audience surrounds performers in an in-the-round stage setup. The evening also features culture-specific traditional snacks and sweets to engage the audience in a multi-sensory experience.
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