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In collaboration with

Iranian Music Program

Present

The Nowruz Concert

The Iranshahr Orchestra

Music Director

Shahab Paranj

With Special Guest Vocalists

Mahdieh Mohammadkhani

Cameron Shahbazi

March 9, 2025 - 6pm

With Music Composed By
Richard Danielpour
Amir Eslami
Kaveh Mirhosseini
Ahmad Pejman
Shahab Paranj
Hasan Riahi
Kambiz Roshanravan
Heshmat Sanjari
Reza Vali
Mahin Zarinpanjeh

Royce Hall, UCLA

Part of Farhang Foundation’s
15th Annual Celebration of Nowruz at UCLA

About Mahdieh Mohammadkhani

Mahdieh Mohammadkhani is a globally acclaimed Iranian classical singer, celebrated for her mesmerizing voice and profound dedication to Iranian traditional music. Trained under legendary masters such as Gholamreza Rezaei and the iconic Mohammad Reza Shajarian, she has established herself as one of the most influential vocalists in Iranian music today. In addition to her vocal artistry, she is also skilled in playing the piano and daf.

With a career spanning over many years, Mohammadkhani has captivated audiences worldwide through her soul-stirring performances and collaborations with esteemed composers and ensembles. Her discography includes several acclaimed albums, including Darya Del, Yek Dariche, Dar Aghooshe Mah, and Tar o Pood. Her music has been showcased at prestigious festivals and venues across Europe, North America, and Australia, where she has performed alongside celebrated musicians such as Hamid Motebassem and Majid Derakhshani.

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mohammadkhani collaborated with Farhang Foundation and maestro Azad Mirzapour on the breathtaking music video MahaNegar. The performance became an instant success, earning the distinction of being Farhang Foundation’s most-viewed virtual performance of all time. This achievement further solidified her reputation as a global ambassador of Iranian music.

After more than a decade away from U.S. stages, Mohammadkhani is set to make her highly anticipated return at Farhang Foundation’s Nowruz Concert at Royce Hall on March 9, 2025. This long-awaited performance promises to be a landmark moment in her illustrious career.
With her angelic voice, impeccable artistry, and unwavering commitment to the preservation and evolution of Iranian music, Mahdieh Mohammadkhani remains a true cultural treasure and an inspiration to audiences worldwide.

Instagram: @mahdieh_mohammadkhani

About Cameron Shahbazi

Rising countertenor Cameron Shahbazi, praised for his “full, voluminous” voice and “personal and beautiful” timbre (De Trouw), is celebrated for his acclaimed interpretations of both baroque and contemporary music. In 2023, he was awarded the prestigious Opus Klassik Award in the ‘Innovative Concert of the Year’ category for his brainchild entitled “Woman.Life.Freedom.”, a benefit concert at Oper Frankfurt produced in support of human rights in Iran.

The 2024-25 season marks numerous exciting projects for Cameron Shahbazi. The countertenor makes his much-anticipated house debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona as Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare in a production by Calixto Bieto. With the Vancouver Opera, he makes his house and role debut as The Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s Flight. Building on the great success of George Benjamin’s new opera Picture a day like this staged by Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma, Shahbazi thrice presents the acclaimed interpretation: at the Opéra Comique in Paris, Opéra national du Rhin, and at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg. Together with pianist Sophia Muñoz, Cameron Shahbazi sings a recital of arias by Handel and Purcell, traditional tunes, and Iranian songs. The concert takes place under the auspices of Les Lundis Musicaux in Paris.

Highlights of Cameron Shahbazi’s recent seasons include his role and house debut of Hamor in Handel’s Jephta at the Royal Opera House in London. He sang the role of Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare in new productions at Glyndebourne Festival (David McVicar) and at Dutch National Opera (Calixto Bieto) in Amsterdam under the baton of Emmanuelle Haïm. Cameron Shahbazi made his company debut with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich as Anfinomo in Il ritorno/The Year of Magical Thinking, a new production of Monteverdi’s opera combined with text by renowned American writer Joan Didion. At Festival Aix-en-Provence, the countertenor was featured in the world premiere of Picture a Day Like This by George Benjamin. With this production he later made his house debut at the Linbury Theater in London, which was subsequently nominated for an Olivier Award. With short notice, Cameron Shahbazi jumped in as Tolomeo (Tolomeo, Re di Egitto) with the Basel Chamber Orchestra for two concerts at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona.

A sought-after concert performer, Shahbazi sang Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal in Versailles, and George Benjamin’s acclaimed Dream of the Song for countertenor and female chorus with the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne. Following the invitation to the Leipzig Bach Festival, the countertenor paid tribute to the genius composer in a grand open-air gala alongside Lang Lang, Daniel Hope, and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. He returned to his native Canada to sing Handel’s Messiah at Toronto’s Koerner Hall, and with the Orchestre National de Lille he performed George Benjamin’s Written on Skin in concert under the baton of Alexandre Bloch. The countertenor presented solo recitals under the auspices of Oper Frankfurt with pianist Malcolm Martineau and at the Paris Sainte Chapelle Opera Festival with pianist Jeff Cohen.

Further highlights include his debut at Oper Frankfurt as Oberon in a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and his involvement at Internationale Handel-Festspiele Karlsruhe where he took on the title role in Tolomeo, re d’Egitto in a production by Benjamin Lazar. In 2021, Shahbazi gave his Russian debut as Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare with the Moscow Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Christopher Moulds. His portrayal of First Angel/Boy in George Benjamin's opera Written on Skin at Oper Köln under François-Xavier Roth earned the countertenor unanimous critical acclaim. Also in Cologne, the countertenor sang Guildenstern in a new production of composer Brett Dean's Hamlet under the baton of Duncan Ward. As an associate artist of the Dutch National Opera Studio in the 2019/20 season, he created the role of Sergey Diaghilev in Willem Jeth’s new opera Ritratto, which was one of The Guardian’s top picks of opera and classical concerts to watch during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Further performances include the role of Disinganno in Handel's Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno at Theater Aachen, and the title role in Cavalli’s Il Giasone for Opera NEO.

Cameron Shahbazi has received distinguished international honors such as the Sylva Gelber Award (2021), the Walter Prsytawski Prize (2021) and the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Award (2019). He was a finalist at the 2019 Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition, was awarded the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Prize at the 2018 International Belvedere Competition, Second Prize at Innsbruck’s Cesti Competition in 2018, and top prizes at the 2017 Opéra Avignon Jeunes Espoirs Competition.

Hamilton-born, Shahbazi is an alumnus of the University of Toronto and Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and a grateful recipient of grants from the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation and Staetshuys Fonds.

About Iranshahr Orchestra

The Iranshahr Orchestra, the first Iranian orchestra established outside of Iran, is composed of some of the most gifted and highly accomplished musicians in Los Angeles, united by a shared commitment to championing composers, performers, and educators. With a primary mission to promote and preserve Iranian music, the orchestra annually commissions, performs, and premieres works by Iranian composers, nurturing a rich and ever-evolving musical legacy.

Distinguished by its cultural diversity, The Iranshahr Orchestra transcends the conventional Western classical format, integrating instruments from Iran and neighboring regions while establishing a unique aesthetic and organizational structure rooted beyond European traditions.

Since 2024, the orchestra has been the official resident ensemble of the Center for Iranian Music at UCLA, further solidifying its role as a leading force in the promotion of Iranian musical heritage.
Among its notable initiatives, Avāz-e Jān—an ongoing collaboration with esteemed Iranian musicians—stands as a testament to its commitment to innovation. The orchestra has also commissioned works from distinguished composers such as Richard Danielpour, Reza Vali, and Ian Krouse, further enriching its artistic repertoire.

In June 2024, The Iranshahr Orchestra released its debut album under the prestigious Naxos label. This landmark recording, nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Music at the International Classical Music Awards, features works by Richard Danielpour and showcases Grammy-winning soprano Hila Plitmann, conducted by Shahab Paranj.

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