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 Treasury to Receive 10% of Concert Ticket Sale Proceeds
The Iranian Musicians Union released a statement on March 19 criticizing recent legislation which requires performers to give 10 percent of the proceeds of concert ticket sales to the state treasury. The union has...
Googoosh Embarks on World Tour, Releases Album 21 Years After Her Comeback
By Nazanine Nouri
Googoosh, one of the most influential Iranian pop artists of all time and a national treasure to generations of Iranians, is celebrating the 21st anniversary of her return to the world stage...
New iPhone 7 Commercial Features Music by Iranian-American Rostam Batmanglij
From the Cookie Monster to Taylor Swift, Apple has used endless ways to convince us to buy their products. Now, the new iPhone7 commercial features a finely crafted track titled "In a Blackout" – co-written...
Victims of 1988 Mass Murders in Iran Remembered in Play by Niloofar Beyzaie
By Azadeh Karimi
The latest work by the Iranian playwright and theater director Niloofar Beyzaie (1967-) titled “Missing Persons” made its theatrical debut in early September in Frankfurt. The two-character play commemorates the victims of...
Israeli-Iranian Singer Maureen Nehedar Releases One Bestselling Album After Another
By Ahmad Rafat
Thirty-eight-year-old Maureen Nehedar was only two-and-a-half when she emigrated with her family from Isfahan to Israel. It was during the early years of the Revolution, when many Persian Jews were leaving their homeland. Maureen and her family were determined not to forget their roots.
Thirty-eight-year-old Maureen Nehedar was only two-and-a-half when she emigrated with her family from Isfahan to Israel. It was during the early years of the Revolution, when many Persian Jews were leaving their homeland. Maureen and her family were determined not to forget their roots.
Oscars Selection Process Criticized by Iran’s Filmmakers
By Azadeh Karimi
The Farabi Cinema Foundation (FCF), which promotes the Islamic Republic’s film industry abroad, has selected “Finding Farideh,” a feature-length documentary, as a contender in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the...
Iranian Stage Directors Face Difficulty Adapting Persian Works, Playwright Says
By Azadeh Karimi
There are fewer restrictions on Iranian authors living in the Islamic Republic to write about other countries than their own, Hamidreza Naeimi, playwright, and theatre director has said.
“The only thing that can...
Kayhan Life Interviews Niyaz, the Iranian Musical Duo
By Ahmad Rafat
Niyaz is an Iranian musical duo created by the singer Azam Ali — formerly part of the group VAS — and her husband Loga Ramin Torkian, from the Iranian crossover group Axiom...
Composing the Track for “1979 Revolution”: Interview with Nima Fakhrara
By Fred Parvaneh
Los Angeles resident Nima Fakhrara is one of three Iranian score composers in the film, television and video-game composition industry. Fakhrara has worked on a number of hit video-game scores including “Detroit:...
