MAPP: Music of the Banned (Chapter Two) – Traditional and Sacred Music of the Banned

This concert will explore the seminal, traditional, and folk musical traditions of Muslim-majority countries on the travel ban. Audiences will be introduced to the little-known traditional sacred music of Islam, featuring artists such as Sudanese musician Khalid El Awad who will present the Islamic call to worship (“azaan/salah”) and mystical songs of Sufi music (“madeeh”). The concert will also feature traditional secular music that predates the influence of Islam, such as Syrian music performed by Raman Osman & Faisal Zedan, as well as Art of Improvisation based on Iranian traditional “radif” performed by Iranian musicians Samandar and Sina Dehghani and Aydin Kiasat. The last performance will include Kurdish music performed by Sirvan Manhoobi and Isik Berfin. Audiences will discover the region’s rich music developed within pre- and non-Islamic traditions.

 
WORKSHOPS:
Regional & Traditional Music of Iran
Oud, Theory of Iranian Music Workshop with Sirvan Manhoobi

Intro to Syrian Music & Arabic Percussion
Derbakki, Riqq & Frame Drum Workshop with Faisal Zedan
 
EXHIBITION:
Calligraphy Exhibition
Demonstration by Arash Shirinbab
 
PERFORMANCES:
SUDAN: Azaan & Madeeh
Islamic Call to Worship & Sufi Songs
Khalid El Awad – vocals, oud (stringed instrument)

SYRIA: The Diverse Land
Traditional Arabic & Kurdish Folk Music
Faisal Zedan – derbakki, riqq, frame drum (Arabic percussion)
Raman Osman – vocals, baglama (Kurdish/Turkish stringed instrument)

IRAN: Art of Improvisation
Iranian Traditional Musical Journey
Samandar Dehghani – tar (Iranian stringed instrument)
Sina Dehghani – tombak (Persian goblet drum)
Aydin Kiasat – kamancheh (Iranian bowed string)

KURDISTAN: Dora Rengin (All Colors in Zazaki Language)
Kurdish, Sufi & Zaza-Alevi Music
Isik Berfin – vocals, daf (large Middle Eastern frame drum)
Sirvan Manhoobi – oud (stringed instrument)
Ozden Oztoprak – vocals, baglama (Kurdish/Turkish stringed instrument)
Rumen “Sali” Shopov – davul (percussion instrument)
 
*Poster design by Mohsen Ghaffari
 

 
Since January 27, 2017, President Trump has issued three travel bans to citizens from countries deemed by his administration: Chad, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea, and Venezuela. In the face of the president’s travel ban, Music of the Banned (MOTB) seeks to build a sonic bridge between peoples. The ten countries of the ban are a source of rich music and art that we can explore in a journey of peace and understanding.

Art will break down the barriers that isolate us — the barriers that either governments or media have worked hard to create. We are inviting the artistic ambassadors of these countries to lay down the drawbridge to their countries’ soundscape and beauty, and invite us all in.

So many have been suffering from a lack of understanding and from this travel ban in particular. Let’s stand to welcome the culture of the unknown, make ourselves aware of those that came to this country for a better life just as our ancestors. This concert series will give voice to musicians from the Banned Nations, breaking the barriers of fear and ignorance by responding with love, peace, and empowerment.

MOTB was first incubated by Dina Zarif, an Iranian artist, during a Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) event at Red Poppy Art House on August 5, 2017. Its success inspired a concert at Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in June 2018. In 2019, with support from the California Arts Council, San Francisco Arts Commission, and Red Poppy Art House, Zarif as lead artist will organize three interdisciplinary concerts, an exploration of performing and visual arts, which feature artists from the countries on President Trump’s travel ban. The three concerts will take place on March 16 (“Borders without Bans”), April 6 (“Sacred and Traditional Music of the Banned” as part of MAPP), and May 5 (“Her Banned Voice” at Brava Theater).

 
Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural happening that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces, such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.

 

Azaan & Madeeh
Islamic Call to Worship & Sufi Songs

Azaan is the Islamic call to worship (“salah”) and is recited by the muezzin at prescribed times of the day. The root of the word is “adhan” meaning “to listen, to hear, be informed about.” Madeeh is the mystical songs of Sufi music in Sudan and aspires to achieve the perfection of worship through music.

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Khalid El Awad (vocals, oud) comes from a lineage of esteemed Sudanese musicians and culture keepers. He is an accomplished oud player, vocalist, and teacher of the various traditional Sudanese styles. He is also a talented multi-instrumentalist and composer of Sudanese music, as well as a scholar of the musical history of the region. As a father of three brilliant daughters who love to carry on their cultural heritage, he is always learning how to innovate and grow to bring these traditions to the new generation.
 
 
 
 

The Diverse Land
Traditional Arabic & Kurdish Folk Music

Syria has been a place for variety of music, most of it drawing from Arabic influences and some from Kurdish, Syrianic, and Armenian traditions. The musical heritage is made of classical, urban, and folk styles. In addition, many local dance forms are practiced, especially folk dancing. Faisal Zedan and Raman Osman present music from different regions of Syria, including songs in the Arabic and Kurdish languages.

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Faisal Zedan (derbakki, riqq, frame drum) is a Syrian/Lebanese percussionist and Arabic drumming teacher. He has been performing Arabic and Middle Eastern styles of music for over 25 years and plays instruments such as derbakki, riqq, and frame drums. Zedan is an active member of a community of musicians who care about preserving, teaching, and performing many styles of Middle Eastern music. He has been collaborating with many musicians both locally and internationally. Learn more at faisalzedan.com.
 
 
Raman Osman (vocals, baglama) is a Kurdish composer and master tembûr (saz) musician from Al-Hasaka, Syria. He has performed Kurdish music at a variety of venues, including the Damascus Opera House and universities in Syria. He currently lives in Northern California where he performs Kurdish music as a solo artist, as well as with artists from various global traditions. Osman performed as a guest artist with the UCSB Middle East Music & Dance Ensemble for the fall concert in 2014. His other performances include many concerts in Agoura Hills, Topanga, Berkeley, San Jose, Davis, Oakland, and San Francisco
 
 
 
 

Art of Improvisation
Iranian Traditional Musical Journey

Musicians Samandar Dehghani, Sina Dehghani, and Aydin Kiasat present Art of Improvisation with a repertoire based on the traditional modal music of Iran, including Radif.

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Born in Esfahan, Iran, Samandar Dehghani (tar) is a professional musician who plays two Persian classical instruments—tar (stringed instrument) and daf (hand drum). He started playing daf at age 15 under the mentorship of his brother and percussionist Sina Dehghani. He started tar with Hasan Tafazoli in Esfahan, and after preliminary studies, he continued his path with master musicians such as Behrouz Hemmati and Keyvan Saket in Tehran. Dehghani moved to the U.S. in 2012 to pursue a professional career in music. He now performs regularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the country. A composer as well, he released his debut album, Light on Fire, in collaboration with Sina in 2016.
 
Sina Dehghani (tombak) is known for his innovative style and improvisational mastery on the ancient Persian classical drums—tombak (wooden drum) and daf. He studied with prominent Persian master percussionists such as Bijan Kamkar, Masoud Habibi, and Navid Afghah. Dehghani has performed in renowned music ensembles in Iran. He has been teaching music for a number of years and currently performs in the San Francisco Bay Area and throughout the U.S.
 
 
 
Aydin Kiasat (kamancheh) was born in Tabriz, Iran, into a family of accomplished musicians. He started studying music, particularly Azeri modal systems on the accordion, when he was six years old. At the same time, he started to learn the classical violin in Tabriz. Since then, he has found himself passionate about learning and playing Western classical music. At 13, his passion drew him to the kamancheh, which he studied as his principal instrument under the greatest masters from Iran and Azerbaijan. From an early age, Kiasat began performing publicly, including major music festivals in his hometown, as well as in Turkey, Germany, and Iran. His collaborations in the U.S. have included numerous Azeri ensembles, Silk Road Music Festival, Cal Poly Music Festival, San Francisco World Music Festival, and Zaryab Ensemble. Kiasat is a senior electrical engineering student at San Jose State University and also studies jazz at Berklee College of Music. His knowledge in traditional folk, Western classical, and jazz music allows him to create a body of work that brings his music to the forefront of global music fields. Currently, he is teaching kamancheh and violin in the Bay Area, as well as playing as a soloist in his band Eastern Fusion Ensemble. Learn more at aydinkiasat.com.
 
 
 
 

Dora Rengin (All Colors in Zazaki Language)
Kurdish, Sufi & Zaza-Alevi Music

Presenting Kurdish music, Sirvan Manhoobi and Isik Berfin are joined by Ozden Oztoprak and Rumen “Sali” Shopov for the final performance of the evening.

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Sirvan Manhoobi (oud) started his musical journey at age 13 taking tar/sehtar, studying with Keivan Saket and Behrooz Hemati. He chose oud as his primary instrument and attended classes with Arsalan Kamkar. Other masters he has studied under include Mohamadreza Lotfi (Radif Navazi-Iranian classical music repertoire), Mehran Rohani (principles and history of music), Siamak Jahangiri (improvisation and analysis of Radif). Upon taking workshops in improvisation with Hossein Alizadeh, Manhoobi was also introduced to the shoorangiz instrument. He was awarded Best Soloist in Iranian music festivals and collaborated with Ardeshir Kamkar. Manhoobi formed the Bamdad Music Ensemble, focusing on Kurdish and Iranian classical music. He is a MA graduate of archaeology from Tehran University and has worked with Bahram Bezaei as a composer and tar player for his most recent play, Tarabnameh, at Stanford. Manhoobi currently lives in San Jose, performing, composing, and teaching Iranian and Kurdish music.
 
 
Isik Berfin (vocals, daf) is from Turkey’s ethnic minority Kurdish-Alevi community, which has historically suffered persecution. As a child in Turkey, she grew up surrounded by her mother’s songs and instruments made by her great-grandfather. Berfin and her mother later moved to San Francisco, where music took on even more meaning in their lives. Their distinct melodic voices wowed a packed audience at the Bayview Opera House in San Fransisco in May 2018. As a duo, their distinct Kurdish repertoire of songs stem from a Sufi spiritual tradition that was passed down behind closed doors.
 
 
Ozden Oztoprak (vocals, baglama) is a graduate from Istanbul Conservatory. As a duo with her daughter Isik, their distinct Kurdish repertoire of songs stem from a Sufi spiritual tradition that was passed down behind closed doors from Oztoprak’s grandparents to their great-granddaughter Berfin.
 
 
 
 
Rumen “Sali” Shopov (davul) is a master Turkish-Romani drummer, singer, and string player from Gotse Delchev, Bulgaria. Romani music is not taught formally and does not have a system of notation, but is passed on from musician to musician, generation to generation. Shopov’s primary mentor was his uncle, Mustafa Kobalishtaliev, the best drummer in the region and the first Romani instrumentalist in the Nevrokopski Ensemble, Bulgaria’s first national folk ensemble. He also learned from his cousin Avdraman Teshovski and directors of the Nevrokopski Ensemble, Kyril Traikov and Zaprju Ikonomov. A charismatic and patient teacher, Shopov has taught at the Eastern European Folklife Center’s Balkan Music and Dance Workshops, Berkeley’s JazzSchool, UC Berkeley, University of Oregon, and more.

 

 
Sirvan Manhoobi
Oud, Theory of Iranian Music Workshop

Iran is an ancient country with diverse ethnicities. Each ethnicity of Iran has its specific culture and art and music. Music of Iran is sometimes studied as part of so-called Middle Eastern music. Main Iranian music divisions are classical Iranian music, which is referred to by native Iranians as “traditional music,” and folk music, regarded as “regional music.”

This workshop is about the diverse musicology of Iran. During the first part of the workshop, with a summary about regional music of Iran, Sirvan Manhoobi will talk about the specific instruments of different regions. The second part of the workshop will continue with the theory of classical Iranian music. The classical music of Iran consists of melody types developed through the country’s classical and medieval eras, such as the musical mode “dastgah.” The influence of dastgah is seen as the reservoir of authenticity from which other forms of musical genres derive melodically and performances are inspired.

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Faisal Zedan
Derbakki, Riqq & Frame Drum Workshop

In this workshop, Faisal Zedan provides an introduction to Syrian music and covers a brief history of the drum, noting regional differences and approaches to the instrument. Learning the basic tones of the drum, as well as emphasizing the proper technique and hand placement, will help develop the necessary mechanics for continued play and study. Students will be introduced to traditional Arabic rhythms, such as maqsoum and malfouf/lef, and will have many opportunities to incorporate the techniques covered at the beginning of the class. This workshop is interactive, with lots of time for playing built in, and appropriate for large groups of beginner (and some intermediate) students. Some drums can be provided, but for larger groups students will also need to bring their own.

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Arash Shirinbab
Calligraphy Exhibition & Demonstration

“My work has revolved around the social, political, historical, and spiritual dimensions of Persian poetry and has been informed by questions of transitioning Iranian society from traditional to modernity. My interdisciplinary art practice includes painting, ancient and traditional Arabic-Persian calligraphy styles, ceramics, mixed media, time-based and site-specific work, and collaborative projects. In working with poetry, I revive the use of the Kufic Arabic calligraphy script which developed around 7th century and gradually fell extinct fourth centuries later. My work transmutes Kufic into a tangible form that can survive and even thrive as a modern aesthetic element. Kufic has a very simple, angular, and nomadic form and was used to document both spiritual yet literary texts, both secular and religious. I have explored this style expansively in my work and believe it resonates with the voice in Persian poetry by women and men. This undervalued and overlooked script enlivens poetry by transforming its individual words and letters into illustrations that encapsulate and reflect their lost pasts/histories.”

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Arash Shirinbab has managed to be a successful blend of award-winning artist, Arabic-Persian calligrapher, and designer, as well as art administrator, art curator, and entrepreneur for the past ten years. He studied industrial and product design at University of Tehran from 2001 to 2006 and earned a BA and MA in the field of design. He then graduated with an MBA in design strategy from California College of the Arts in 2010. In 2008, Shirinbab engaged in classical study of traditional Arabic-Persian calligraphy scripts under masters from the Iranian Calligraphists Association and learned two of the oldest Islamic calligraphy scripts. He has participated in over 70 exhibitions (over 10 solos) nationally and internationally—U.S., Spain, Poland, Canada, Russia, France, Italy, Japan, Taiwan, India, and Iran—such as Triton Museum of Art in California, the Kunsthaus-Berlin-Marbella in Spain, and the Saadabad Palace in Tehran. Shirinbab has led over four dozen public art programs, has curated over 10 international exhibitions, and has conducted over two dozen calligraphy workshops and demonstrations, including workshops at Fremont Main Library in California, University of Toronto in Canada, and masterclass at the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy in Moscow.

Shirinbab’s calligraphy and artworks with his personal painting style, Poem-Painting, have won several national and international awards. Among his awards are the 1st Place and Best of the Show Award for the 50 Shades of Gray competition by Focus Point & Shape Gallery 2014; Special Recognition Award for My Art international competition from Art Quench Magazine 2013; and a prestigious grant award as the leading artist and calligrapher from Creative Works Fund 2015. Shirinbab moved from his home country of Iran to the U.S. in 2010, and in the course of a few years has become a visible and active artist, calligrapher, and cultural producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Learn more at arash-shirinbab.com and containandserve.com.

 
Dina Zarif
Curator, Program Director & Project Manager
 
Dina Zarif is a performer, vocalist, designer, and art manager who combines Western classical singing with Middle Eastern styles inspired from her Persian roots. Some of her credits include SF International Arts Festival (May 2016 & 2018), Palace of Fine Arts (Sept 2018), the chamber opera The Passion of Leyla in San Jose, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (June 2018), and the staged reading of Layla & Majnun at BAMPFA as part of the symposium with Mark Morris Dance Group and the Silk Road Ensemble. She was the featured singer in Syria Mon Amour, Golden Thread’s 2017 celebration of International Women’s Day at Brava Theater.

As an actress, Zarif performed in three of influential Iranian playwright and director Bahram Beyzai’s plays: Ardaviraf’s Report (2015), Tarabnameh (2015-2016) as the role of Dancer/Singer, and Crossroads (2018) in the Stanford Iranian Studies department. She is also a costume designer and performer in the shadow production Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic. As the character Princess Roudabeh, she has performed at SF Cowell Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music, UCLA, Harvard University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wallis Annenberg Hall, and has internationally toured in Poland, Canada, Taiwan, China, and France between 2015 and 2018.

Zarif serves as Program Director at Red Poppy Art House. She received her MA in landscape architecture from the University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts.

 
Time: 12:00pm event
Admission: Free

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