PRESS KIT

PRESS KIT
About the Ensemble
Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat reflect the current evolution of Persian song. They are of a
new generation of musicians, university-educated and completely devoted to their artistic
cause. They express the continuation of a tradition that faces problems of identity in today‘s
Iran. Persian music has the capacity to renew itself constantly. As well as having a history of
pure transmission, it also has authenticity of emotion. As a result of its mystical heritage, it is
able to retain a feeling of nobility and depth of being that could be called oriental, chivalrous
and melancholic romanticism.
This heritage is wonderfully portrayed by Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat. The two sisters with
similar and different characteristic timber in their voices proudly and graciously and with
devoted passion take Persian poetry to new height and new spaces. The way their voices soar
and intertwine create a unique landscape for the audience. They reflect joy, sorrow, hope,
longing and love of Iranian people in their songs. Without being visible in their own society,
they have continuous contact with a large audience who appreciate their art in the world.
Their Persian Ensemble has been developed for many years of working together of five artists.
They took part in many world music festivals and many concerts in the world. The sound that
they created is a unique way of new expression of Persian classical and regional music.
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Performing this kind of Persian music that improvisation aspects is powerful in performance
is the result of cooperation of each artists together that is created by the emotion and ideas
and experiences and musical expression of all artists of this ensemble .
The lyrics are mostly mystic and love poems from Great Mystic poems like Hafez, Rumi, Attar
and some contemporary poems like Mohammad Ebrahim Jafari, Houshang Ebtehaj (Sayeh )
and also some lyrics from oral literature of Iran.
From 2003 they had a long lasting collaboration with Norwegian record label Kirkelig Kulturverskted (www.kkv.no ) which led to a world wide release of series of records.with the
Persian Ensemble They released an Album “Twinklings of hope“ in 2012 and the Album
received wonderful reviews and attention in the world ,the album is among Songline Magazine’s editor’s choice selection of the 10 best new release (top of the world) of August –
September 2012. Mahsa &Marjan Vahdat took top honors in the category of World Traditional
with the album “Twinklings of hope“ in 12 th Annual Independent music awards in US in
June 2013.
Ensemble:
Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat: Singers
Pasha Hanjani: Ney
Atabak Elyasi: Setar
Ali Rahimi: Daf
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Mahsa Vahdat
Mahsa Vahdat
Born in Tehran in 1973, Mahsa Vahdat began learning music from an early age. She took
piano lessons and received Persian singing instructions from various musicians in Iran.
She also plays the Persian string instrument setar. She entered Tehran Arts University in 1993
and graduated with a B.A. in Music.
Since 1995 Mahsa has performed as an independent singer and musician in many concerts
and festivals in Asia, Europe, the US and Africa together with musicians from Iran, Europe and
America. She has also appeared on stage with her sister Marjan Vahdat in many concerts .
Following her participation in Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2004), Mahsa started a long l
asting collaboration with the Norwegian record label Kirkelig Kulturverksted (KKV), which led
to a world wide release of a series of records. Mahsa worked with Many musicians like:
Tord Gustavsen, Knut Reiersrud, SKRUK Choir, Mighty Sam Mcclain, Atabak
Elyasi, Pasha Hanjani, Shervin Mohajer in her albums and concerts.
Since 2007 Mahsa is one of the ambassadors of Freemuse Organization, an independent
international organization that advocates freedom of expression for musicians and
composers worldwide. In 2010, she was granted the Freemuse Award.
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Albums:
ƒƒ Risheh dar khak (rooted in the soil) (www.barbadmusic.com)
ƒƒ Songs from a Persian Garden (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ I am Eve (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Scent of Reunion (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ I vine Speil (In the mirror of wine) with SKRUK choir (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Twinklings of hope (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ A deeper tone of longing (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Mahsa Also took part in album “listen to the banned“ (www.grappa.no)
Marjan Vahdat
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Marjan Vahdat
Was born in Tehran in 1976 she Started music by taking lessons in Piano and Persian singing
with different Masters in Music. She has been taking part in Many international festivals and
concerts in Germany, Norway, Italy, France, Sweden, Bahrain, England, Spain, Poland, Swiss,
USA, Turkey. She has worked with many composers in Iran and also other countries .
Marjan Vahdat also cooperates with Freemuse Organization, Freemuse is an independent
international organizations which advocates freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide. (www.freemuse.org). She sang in a song for Music freedom day in 2007.
Marjan cooperated with many musicians like Knut Reiersrud , Atabak Elyasi,
Gjermund Silset, Pasha Hanjani, Shervin Mohajer.
Albums:
ƒƒ Songs from a Persian Garden (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ I am Eve (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Twinklings of hope (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Blue Fields (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ She also took part in the “Lullabies from the axis of Evil” CD.
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Atabak Elyasi
Atabak Elyasi: Setar player
Atabak Elyasi born in 1964 in Tehran, he plays Tar and Setar, he Graduated from Tehran Arts
University in music composition (M.A) . He has been teaching in the Tehran Arts University
in Composition department for many years .
He has been working with Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat since 2000.
He composed and arranged and produced album “I am Eve “ (www.kkv.no ) with singers
Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat that was well received internationally and he has participated in
the CD”Songs from the Persian Garden“ and Twinklings of hope.
He took part in many International festivals and concerts in Iran and Italy, Spain, Swiss,
Germany, England, Poland, Turkey, Pakistan, Denmark, Sweden, Norway .
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Pasha Hanjani: Ney Player
Persian woodwind instrument
Pasha Hanjani was born in 1978 in Tehran ,he started music from early ages ,he graduated
from the Tehran Arts University (M.A) in music and performance. He has been working as the
Ney solist in the National orchestra from 1998. He cooperated with many ensemble in Iran
and also he took part in many international festivals in Italy, India, France, Swiss, Norway,
Austria, Denemark, Sweden, England, Poland, Tunes, USA and Canada, Spain, Bahrain.
He cooperated in many Albums such:
ƒƒ I am Eve (www.kkv.no )
ƒƒ Scent of Reunion (www.kkv.no )
ƒƒ Three wise men (tre vise menn ) (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Undr (www.kkv.no )
ƒƒ Twinklings of hope (www.kkv.no )
ƒƒ Deeper tone of longing (www.kkv.no )
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Pasha Hanjani
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Ali Rahimi
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Ali Rahimi: Daf player
Ali Rahimi was born in Tehran in 1978, he started music with playing Tonbak and Daf (Persian Percussions). He took part in many International festivals and concerts in Iran and other
countries like India, France, Italy, Holland, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, England, as Persian Percussionist with different ensembles like Nour, Rumi, Parissa Mudj, Sharghi from 2000.
He cooperated in many Albums with different ensembles and also Album:
ƒƒ Alba (www.hermesrecords.com )
ƒƒ Nour ensemble and Album, I am Eve (www.kkv.no )
ƒƒ Twinklings of hope (www.kkv.n)
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Discography
Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat | Ensemble
ƒƒ Risheh dar khak (rooted in the soil) (www.barbadmusic.com)
ƒƒ Songs from a Persian Garden (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ I am Eve (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Scent of Reunion (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ I vine Speil (In the mirror of wine) with SKRUK choir (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Twinklings of hope (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ A deeper tone of longing (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ Mahsa Also took part in album “listen to the banned“ (www.grappa.no )
ƒƒ Blue Fields (www.kkv.no)
ƒƒ She also took part in the “Lullabies from the axis of Evil” CD.
For more Info see: www.mahsavahdat.com
Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat | Ensemble
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Press
I Am Eve Kirkelig Kulturverksted
The Vahdat sisters
(KKV) debut, Songs From A Persian Garden, was the document of a live recording, a
soiree held in secret in the grounds of the summer residence of the Italian Embassy in
Iran. It was held in secret because in Iran women are forbidden from singing in public.
Mystery is a wonderful track („When the moonlight of your eyes scatters night! It rains
flowers in my sorrowful field“) with Mahsa‘s voice strong, clear and defiant over Pasha
Hajai‘s sorrowful ney. There‘s an effortlessly heartbroken quality in Mahsa‘s voice, even
when singing Rumi‘s ecstatic lyrics, while Marjan‘s voice has a more formal tone, though
equally piercing. Separately they are powerful, when they come together, their strange
harmonies, such as on the setting of Rumi‘s King Of Love, are extraordinary.
...more
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LE FIGARO | Cullure | MUSIQUE
Mahsa Vahdat, une voix‚ interdite en Iran
Was fä llt Ihnen zuerst ein, wenn Sie an den Iran denken? Islamische Revolution? Mullahherrschaft?Wächterrat? Namen wie Khomeini, Khamene‘i, Ahmadinejad, Mussawi?
Staatsterror gegen die Opposition? Geheime Atomwaffenprojekte? Kopftuchpflicht für
Frauen? Oder gar die Achse des Bösen? Oder wie steht es mit Namen wie Hafes, Rumi,
al-Halladsch? Oder mit Mahsa und Marjan Vahdat?
...more
FOLKER
Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat (Botschafterinnen eines anderen Iran)
Es ist die Poesie einer für uns doch ungewohnten Lebensart, sehr sinnlich, sehr still,
sehr schmachtend. Eines erschließt sich den europäischen Zuhörern schnell; nämlich der
Reichtum persischer Melodien, Rhythmen und Arrangements, wenn auch alles für unsere Ohren orientalisch-exotisch klingt. Begleitet wird Mahsa von Ehemann Atabak Elyasi
an der Langhalslaute Setar, Pasha Hanjani an der Flote Ney und All Rahimi an der
Rahmentrommel Daf.
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Press

Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat Twinklings of Hope
Songs from a Persian mansion
I first heard Iranian sisters Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat in Istanbul in
2006. The power in their voices, so perfectly matched and intertwining around each other was a revelation. We were all there for
a Freemuse meeting about music censorship.
Sadly, solo (or duo) women singers are not permitted to perform in Iran except for all-female audiences. The Vahdat sisters
have released several albums on the Norwegian KKV label, most
of them fusion projects, and have contributed a track to KKV’s
Lullabies from the Axis of Evil album in 2004. But this is the first
recording where the power and beauty of their voices really comes across. It was recorded with three instrumentalists on ney flute (Pasha Hanjani), plucked setar (Atabak Elyasi) and percussion (Ali Rahimi) in an Qajar period Persian mansion in Tehran belonging
to the Italian embassy.
It’s a beautiful location for a traditional ensemble.
Some of the words are by the great Persian poets Hafez and Rumi, others are contemporary, but the music is timeless.
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The breathiness of the ney, the
tingling delicacy of the setar, the
punctuation of drums and the
overlapping voices in ‘Garden of
Visions’ are magical.
A soft ney introduction leads to
the drama of ‘Crane’, a powerful
song yearning for freedom. The
words are intensely poetic and
often hard to interpret (despite
translations), but the effect of the
songs is transformative.
Simon Broughton
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Links
…Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat Website
…Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat on Facebook
CD
…Blue Fields
…Mahsa Vahdat & Mighty Sam McClain
ƒƒA deeper tone of longing
ƒƒScent of reunion
…I am Eve
…Twinklings of hope
…Skruk & Mahsa Vahdat
…Songs from a persian garden
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Technical Rider
Microphones for Vocals
Microphone Stand
Stage Monitor
Chairs
Changing rooms
Changing rooms
Light Simply colorful stage lighting
x 2 Neumann KSM105
x 3 short (for Ney, Setar, Daf and Percussion)
x4
x5
1 (for Men‘s)
1 (for Women‘s)
Refreshments & Snacks
•Water for 6 people, Tea and honey
•Assorted Beverages - Suggestions: Dr. Pepper, Sprite, Mineral Water, Cranberry Juice,
Orange Juice, Red and/or White Wine, Assorted Beer (preferably anything other than
Budweiser, Miller or Coors). Please provide snacks such as Potato Chips, Vegetable Trays,
Bagels and Hummus if available.
Duration of the concert: 2 x 30 minutes
Start of sound check: 3 hours before the concert
Duration of the sound check: 2 hours
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Contact:
www.simorqmusic.com
[email protected]
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