Composer Mehdi Rajabian Releases Peace Album with 12 Mideastern Players
The Iranian composer Mehdi Rajabian (1989-) and 12 musicians from neighboring countries have released an album entitled “Middle East.” The record is the result of a remarkable collaboration between musicians in the region.
None of...
Teaching Tar and Setar on YouTube: Interview with Sahba Motallebi
By Firouzeh Ramezanzadeh
Sahba Motallebi is an Iranian musician, songwriter and player of tar and setar (Iranian string instruments) Motallebi was born in 1978 in Tehran. She is a graduate of the Tehran Conservatory of...
Meet Skincare Company Founder Asal Shirazi
By Fred Parvaneh
British-Iranian Asal Shirazi is a quiet, unassuming mother of five children who has studied law, medicine, and aromatherapy. She is also a licensed skin practitioner.
Asal suffers from a life-threatening autoimmune disorder, yet...
Iranian Pianist Arash Rokni Wins Second Place in Bach Competition
Iranian musician Arash Rokni has won the second prize in the piano section of the 2018 Johann Sebastian Bach competition, held between July 11 and 21 in Leipzig, Germany.
Mr. Rokni attended the School Of...
Only 18 and Already a Star: Iranian-African-American Comedian Yara Shahidi
Yara Shahidi is the Iranian-African-American star of the critically acclaimed ABC show Black-ish (which ran from 2014 until earlier this year) and an outspoken advocate for diversity in Hollywood and the importance of education...
Representing Iranian Identity: Artist Fatemeh Takht Keshian Exhibits in Manchester Library
By Tara Biglari
Fatemeh Takht Keshian is an Iranian-born artist living in the U.K. Her latest series is currently on display at the Alexandria Library in Manchester, the U.K.
Takht Keshian's work aims to shed light...
Artist Abbas Akhavan Creates Work for Toronto Power Plant
A site-specific installation by the Iranian-born, Toronto-based artist Abbas Akhavan has opened at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery — a former industrial facility — in Toronto. It will be on view until September...
Tehran-Based Architect Alireza Taghaboni Wins Royal Academy Architecture Award
The Tehran-based architect Alireza Taghaboni has just been named as the winner of the Royal Academy Dorfman Award for architecture, given out for the first time this year by the U.K.’s Royal Academy of...
UNESCO Inscribes Kamantcheh on its World Heritage List
The art of crafting and playing the kamantcheh, a bowed string instrument that has existed for over 1,000 years, has been inscribed by UNESCO on its coveted world heritage list and identified as being...
‘Tips for Survival’: Interview with Filmmaker, Actress Reem Kadem
By Fred Parvaneh
Reem Kadem is an American-born Iraqi actress, filmmaker and activist living in Los Angeles.She is best known for playing the lead role in "Nawal the Jewel," inspired by the story of Reyhaneh...
