Rouhollah Khaleghi Artistic Center established in Washington DC

1 January 2023 – 1:07 pm Posted in Articles' List, Iranian Classical Music

Golnoush Khaleghi (1941-2021), a Washington-based Persian musician and the daughter of the contemporary Persian (Iranian) composer and theoretician Rouhollah Khaleghi (1906-1965) founded a musical center called RKAC to keep the name and the work of her father alive.

Rouhollah Khaleghi founded Persian National Music Conservatory [Honarestaan-e Musighi-e Melli) in 1949 in Tehran. He was the chief editor of Chang and Payaam-e Novin magazines and conducted the Tehran’s Radio “Gol-ha Orchestra” for several years. Among his most famous theoretical works are a three volume book entitled “History of the Persian Music” [Sargozasht-e Musighi-e Iran] and the popular anthem-like song ‘O Persia’ [Ey Iran] .

Graduated from Tehran Conservatory and Wisconsin University, Golnoush Khaleghi conducted the National Iranian Radio and TV’s Choir called “Ham-Avaazaan” from 1974 to 1978. After the 1979 revolution, she immigrated to America and together with 25 Persian and American musicians, she founded an orchestra under the name of her father in 1985. In addition to the performance of works by Rouhollah Khaleghi, this orchestra performed pieces by other famous Persian (Iranian) composer such as Alinaghi Vaziri, Morteza Mahjoubi and Hossein Dehla! vi in New York and Washington DC until 1990 when it had to stop its activity due to the lack of financial support from cultural institutes (whether Persian or American).

Apparently, Rouhollah Khaleghi had told his daughter before his death that ‘I aspire to enter a musical hall outside Persia one day and see that they are performing Persian music that is arranged in such a way to make it enjoyable even for non-Persian audience.’ According to Golnoush Khaleghi, her second motivation to establish the above orchestra was ‘to perform Persian Music during the time when musical activities came to an almost standstill in Iran due to religious limitations.’

Foundation of RKCA [Rouhollah Khaleghi Artistic Center] in fact the revival of the same organization that was active only in the form of a chamber orchestra.

The establishment of a website on the artistic activities and works of Rouhollah Khaleghi is one of the major activities of RKAC. Reproduction of his works on CDs, performance of concerts and offering scholarship to talented Persian (Iranian) students to study Music are among other activities of this center. In addition to introduction of R. Khaleghi’s works, the other major goal of RKAC is to encourage Persian youth to study music, particularly those who live abroad and are therefore unfamiliar with Persian culture.

***

HarmonyTalk

Golnoush Khaleghi published two books entitled Ey Iran: Memorial volume of Ruhollah Khaleghi (Mahoor Institute Publications, 2006) and Rouhollah Khaleghi’s Compositions & Arrangements (Mahoor Institute Publications, 2019) in Iran. She also published R. Khaleghi’s sheet music collection with Roudaki and Nogan publications.

This entry was written by Pejman Akbarzadeh
Tagged: Golnoush Khaleghi, Roohollah Khaleghi, Rouhollah Khaleghi, Rouhollah Khaleqi.

Nasser Masoudi: The Voice of Gilan and a Legacy of Iranian Music

In Iranian music, certain singers have become emblematic of their homelands through their distinctive voices. Historical figures such as Eghbal Sultan, who epitomized the grandeur of Azerbaijani music, and Taj Isfahani, who conveyed the authentic essence of Isfahan, serve as notable examples from the Qajar era. Nasser Masoudi occupies a similar position; his voice emerged as a symbol of Gilan while also achieving national acclaim. Before him, Master Ahmad Ashurpur represented Gilan’s musical landscape, but his extended residence outside Iran limited his continuous engagement in the music scene. In contrast, Masoudi’s consistent presence allowed him to introduce the voice of Gilan to audiences across Iran.

Farhad Poupel: The Voice of the Shahnameh in the Orchestras Around the World

In an era when almost no trace of contemporary Iranian music can be heard in international concert halls, except (so-called!) avant-garde works that owe their existence solely to the fashionable slogans of the “pseudo-intellectual” crowd who have seized the already meager resources for performing classical music from the true artists of the field, the numerous performances of Farhad Poupel’s works shine as a ray of hope for lovers of sincere musical art. Without resorting to trendy slogans, he has kept the flame of Iranian classical music alive purely through the power of his artistry.

Latest posts

From Past Days…

Music education in third-world countries

Music education in third-world countries is facing many problems that limit access to it and it’s full of challenges. These rising and falling obstacles are made of the socioeconomic, cultural educational systems, etc.

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (I)

Today, percussion instruments have such a high place in music that are an essential element of orchestras. This has attracted many people to this type of instrument with roots as old as the first humans. A historical study of music, shows that humans used the sound of these instruments to defend themselves against wild animals and, over time, for alerting each other, signaling their readiness and encouraging people for war, ritual ceremonies, dances, etc. in a manner that is still clearly visible in music and some ritual ceremonies.

Last Year under the Light of Music

Almost three months into the new Iranian year (starting March 21), it is still not too late to have a look at the last year and the challenges that the musicians faced. The following article was published on the first day of the New Year in the Persian edition of the HarmonyTalk journal.

Rare documents of Tehran Opera Company published in Europe

The year 2020 marks the 10th anniversary of Evlin Baghcheban’s death. She played a crucial role to promote opera and choral music in Persia (Iran). Born to an Assyrian-French family in Turkey, she studied singing and piano at the Ankara State Conservatory. In 1950 Evlin married the Persian composer and fellow student Samin Baghcheban and moved to Tehran.

Principles of Violin Playing (X)

Creating sound continuity between two notes in the source and destination positions when left hand position changes and “two different finger numbers” are involved is called portamento. Portamento can be performed on single string or two neighboring strings and with hand moving on fingerboard either upward or downward.

Lilly Afshar, Iranian Guitar Legend, passed away

The text you are reading is about Hamed Fathi, a guitarist and one of Lilly Afshar’s students, which was previously published on the Persian website HarmonyTalk.com:

Polyphony in Iranian Music (VI)

Torqeh or jal is the same bird (Bimaculated lark) and is the name of a muqam which is well-known in Torbate Jam and those areas. Jal muqam is called Torqeh in Esfarayen and Bojnourd. This muqam which was used to be played by Bakhshis/Bagşies (dutar-players) in the past is seldom performed today.

The Structure of Kurdistan Daf (II)

With its simple physical structure and captivating sound, the Daf never belonged to a particular culture or location, and every nation had different usages for this instrument considering their dominant customs and traditions.

Motherland Orchestra Broke the Spell of the Covid-19 Restrictions

The Motherland Orchestra staged the first concert since the outbreak of the pandemic under the baton of Nezhat Amiri. The orchestra went on stage on December 23-24, 2021 in memory of Rouhollah Khaleghi and Golnoush Khaleghi at Vahdat Hall, Tehran, Iran. Since the pandemic outbreak, concerts were held online and restrictions were imposed on in-person concerts.

Kayvan Mirhadi and O.R.P Qaurtet

Establishing O.R.P. Quartet is Kayvan Mirhadi’s latest activity as a guitarist, composer and conductor of Kamerata Orchestra. Besides working with this Quartet, Mirhadi is busy these days recording and mixing some of his own works as well as some pieces by 20th century composers. O.R.P Quartet performed a concert in Rasht, Gilan Province in late May 2016 and offered a master class.