Mt. Lebanon Public Library
Rocket Search - Event Details
Join us for an evening discovering Iran through discussion and art. Dr. Parviz Baghai will provide a talk on life in contemporary Iran, Dr. Baghai received his medical degree from Tehran University and is the Vice Chairman of Clinical Affairs in the Neurosurgery Department of the Allegheny Health Network. Dr. Baghai's talk will include a brief overview of the history of Iran but will primarily focus on life in contemporary Iran; The society, government and sources of conflict. Dr. Baghai will draw upon personal experiences to present the differences between Iran as one who has lived in the country and the one portrayed today in mass media. He will end his discussion with brief synopsis of the Iranian - American community.
Dr. Dariush Saghafi will provide a musical performance on the santur, a classical Persian hammered dulicmer. Dariush Saghafi began the study of santur at the age of 11 with Ostad Abolhassan Saba, the foremost contemporary figure in Persian music. He also spent a year of study with Ostad Faramarz Payvar, the distinguished Iranian santur player and master musician. Saghafi was twice the winner (1966 and 1967) of the Gold Medal award in santur competitions among students from all Iranian colleges and universities. From 1961 to 1967, he taught santur at the Tabriz Institute of Fine Arts.
A highly respected musician and interpreter whose santur playing and style reflect the traditional excellence of the master players of the instrument, his performances in Iran have included concerts in Tehran and Tabriz, both as soloist and in various ensembles. In the United States, he has performed to rave reviews at New York University, Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in New York, the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as well as numerous concerts in the Pittsburgh area. Darius Saghafi is the recipient of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts (PCA) 2008 Fellowships in Traditional Arts.
For the past 45 years, Saghafi has been engaged in the study and research of Persian music and poetry, learning from personal contacts, recordings and writings of the old and new masters. He believes that the performer must know in depth every aspect of the theory and practice of his art; that his knowledge and beauty of the music elevates and purifies the spirit; and that the feelings inspired by the music can be communicated to listeners who will appreciate the music with or without a thorough understanding of the art form. He believes that the musician must accomplish two things: first, appeal to a general audience, and then satisfy the demanding standard of the masters.
Light refreshments will be provided.