UNESCO Inscribes Iranian Game of ‘Chogan’ on Cultural Heritage List
Chogan, an ancient Iranian horse-riding game accompanied by music and storytelling, has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The game is commonly known around the world as...
The Iranian Soprano: Interview with Shaqayeq Kamali
By Firoozeh Ramezanzadeh
The Iranian soprano Shaqayeq Kamali was born in Tehran. She studied piano and voice at Tehran University’s School of Arts. She left Iran after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and continued her studies...
Iran’s Rudaki Orchestra Performs Songs by Elvis, Sinatra
Nima Fathi conducted the Rudaki Orchestra in a series of performances of American pop songs by the likes of Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra on June 18 and 19 at the Vahdat (Rudaki) concert...
Championing Iranian Art in London: Interview with Rose Issa
By Tara Biglari
Rose Issa is a renowned curator, writer and producer who, over the last three decades, has helped introduce Middle Eastern art on the London scene. Artists she has championed include Farhad Moshiri...
Tehranchian Becomes First Female Singer to Record Rabbana Prayer
Leila Tehranchian is the first female singer ever to have released a recording of the Rabbana prayer pronounced during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ms. Tehranchian’s version of the Rabbana prayer is, however, only available...
Working with Tupac: Interview with Music Video Producer-Director Rahimi
By: Fred Parvaneh
As a lifelong lover of music, Gobi M. Rahimi is a prolific music video producer and director who has worked with some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Snoop...
Vigen, Iran’s ‘Sultan of Pop’: Profile
Vigen was Iran’s first male pop star. He was known as “the Sultan of pop,” and one of the first entertainers in the country to perform with a guitar in the 1950s and 1960s.
He...
LGBT Rights Must Be Defended, Says Abjeez Pop Band Co-Founder
By Mani Tehrani
Every year, May 17 marks the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. It aims to raise worldwide awareness of LGBT rights (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender). While most Western countries recognize the...
Musician Erwin Khachikian Plays for 80,000, Features on ‘The Tonight Show’
By Fred Parvaneh
American-Iranian musician, singer and producer Erwin Khachikian was born in Tehran to an Armenian family in 1973. Music has been an integral part of his life since early childhood.
His father was the...
Palazzo in Italy Hosts Show of Art by Iranian Women
By Tara Biglari
The Palazzo Ducale in Mantua, Italy – an extraordinary group of buildings dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries — recently hosted an exhibition by five female Iranian artists: Parvaneh Etemadi,...
