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Mahsa Vahdat, born in Tehran in 1973, was awarded with the 2010 Freemuse Award at a ceremony in London on 25 March 2010. She is strong defenders of freedom of musical expression and well-known to audiences in Europe, where her songs — unlike in her home country — can be performed without restrictions. - Freemuse
What would you do if the music you wanted to make were forbidden ? What if someone in power didn’t want it heard?
Would you be silent? Or would you play it louder ? - Uncut - Free speech on the frontline
The mix of light percussion, bass, and piano are a perfect companion to the beautiful choral melodies and Mahsa's voice. - Inside world music
Mahsa Vahdat was born in 1973 in Iran. She started taking piano lessons at the age of fourteen. Since 1995 she has taken part in many concerts in Iran and in other countries (Germany, Holland, England, France, India, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Bahrain, USA,Turkey, Poland and Spain) as an independent artist.
Unable to sing in public
Today in Iran, women can practice various musical forms but they cannot sing in public for mixed audiences.
They can participate in for-women-only concerts, some of which the Ministry of Culture organises annually. Women can also sing in the company of a male singer or as part of a choir.
Mahsa Vahdat refuses to perform for women only. All of her concerts are held outside Iran.
Mahsa Vahdat is an ambassador of Freemuse, an independent international organization which advocates for freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide.
She has released several albums and took part in the 2004 thought-provoking musical statement “Lullabies from the Axis of Evil.”
- A safe world for women
United by their countries’ tortured civil rights histories, a mighty American soul master and a lioness of Persian music meet a Norwegian human rights activist/producer, and sing a song of freedom. Welcome to the most vital pairing in the multicultural world. - The Bluegras Special
Discography
2010: Mahsa Vahdat & Skruk - I vinens speil (In the mirror of Wine)(Kirkelig Kulturverksted)
2009: Mahsa Vahdat & Mighty Sam McClain - Scent of reunion (Kirkelig Kulturverksted)
2008: Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat - I am Eve (Kirkelig Kulturverksted)
2007: Mahsa & Marjan Vahdat - Songs from a Persian Garden (Kirkelig Kulturverksted)
2003: Various Artists - Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (Kirkelig Kulturverksted)
Photos
Bio
Mahsa Vahdat is one of Irans greatest voices. She searches her inspiration in the deep sources of Iranian culture and mix it with traditions from the West apart from also performing the hardcore Persian, classical music. She lives in Iran where female singing is banned, so she frequently travels around the world and has all of her career as a performer outside of her country.
Since her participation on the album Lullabies from the Axis of Evil (2004), she has done several recordings, all of them released by KKV from Norway, widely spread around in Europe, America and The Middle East, including the illegal market in her homeland. Some of the recordings she has done together with her sister Marjan (Songs from a Persian Garden 2007 and I am Eve 2008), one with Mighty Sam McClain from the US (Scent of Reunion 2009) and one with the Norwegian pianist Tord Gustavsen and the choir SKRUK (In the mirror of Wine 2010).
Mahsa has given concerts in Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Turkey, Lebanon, Bahrain, India, USA.
She was given the Freemuse Award in 2010. She is an ambassador of Freemuse and took also part in the album Listen to the banned (2010).
By education she has a BA in music from the University of Art in Tehran.
At home in Tehran she works with preparing her programs and creating her songs, often with poetry by Hafez, Rumi and other classical Persian poets. In addition she gives voice lessons to students in her hometown.
For a Womex showcase we will bring her Norwegian band (guitar, bass, drums, bass and keyboards) under the leadership of Knut Reiersrud, and we will add an appearance of her sister Marjan who studies music in Germany and the famous ney player Pasha Hanjani from Tehran.
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