Autobiography

I was born in Tehran in an artist family. My grand-parents were apt to learn music. My grand-father played and sang, and my grand-mother has a pleasant and sweet voice. My uncle –Shahram Nazeri– grew up in such a family and with such parents. He also had a good voice, and with his soft and kind heart he could enter the world of spiritual music. He lived with his parents and we were lived in their neighborhood, we all lived together in a friendly, poetic and artistic atmosphere.

This is how I first came to know music and poesy. Whatever he sang, I repeated and whispered and I imagined myself singing like him or simply being him. He was my icon, my idol.

At the age of 9, when I first saw the Daf in Shahram Nazeri’s “Shour-Angiz” concert, it was as if I was taken in a dream. I was fascinated by its mystic tone. It was in the same year -1989- when I first touched the Daf and started playing it.

I played 10 hours per day. I practiced, listened, repeated and did not give up. Unfortunately, in this way I did not have any encouragement and there was nobody who may have been listening to me and understanding me. My father was totally opponent to my desire and he believed that in the way I had just started, I would not succeed and it would even prevent me from advancing in my real life! However, I did not give up and I worked even harder and more seriously as if my father’s disagreement had given me more force to show him the opposite and to make him have more confidence in me and in what I was longing to do. I believed that I had just commenced a long combat that I would never stop.

I liked singing, too. I think one of the most important reasons was being my uncle’s neighbor. I knew all his songs and music by heart and repeated them with myself. I loved him so much and this affection plaited me to his world; traditional Iranian music. In order to learn more and acquire as much as knowledge I could about singing and composing, I listened to Master Davami’s and Master Karimi’s Radifs and I song them secretly.  

I was 13 when my uncle saw my Daf playing for the first time and he was astonished. He encouraged me to continue. Besides, my parents started to understand me little by little. At the age of 15, after seven years of Daf playing, I attended Master Bijan Kamkar’s Daf courses for two months and then as he suggested, I attended Ahmad Khak-Niyat’s courses which lasted only three months. I felt that what I was searching could not be found in those classes although they were perfect. I was looking for something above those lessons, something more, something that could be in harmony with my soul and my world. I wanted to explore a new method and invent a new world in Daf playing. That is why I decided to pursuit my instinct and my imagination. As Rumi believs:

                                    “There is an immense disparity between a real scholar and an imitator

                                    ‘Cause the former is like David and the latter is akin to a banal sound”  

At the age of 16, I played the Daf in Shahram Nazeri’s “Heyrani” album and this was the first time I was playing officially among other famous and well-known musicians and presenting myself as a musician. I considered this event as a success and consolation.

In 1999, I entered university in Yazd. My departure from Tehran and living in another city far from my family gave me the chance to discover silence and calm. I had more time to meditate and to get to know myself. With more concentration and calmness I could work on poesy, music and composing and I could read and investigate more and more about them. The world I had created for myself, was so good and adequate that could help me enquire more and observe any tiny angle of my character. My new world let my poetic feelings flourish and grow. Since I was alone, my thoughts could find their way to brightness and my mind took a more satisfactory arrangement. Beside my courses at university, I had more time to work also on singing more seriously.

I was acquiring new views, innovative ideas which I soon decided to introduce. I knew that achieving that aim would be a hard labor, especially in the atmosphere of jealousy and stillness of music in Iran. Nevertheless, I was convinced that I would be able to accomplish my duty. And I was sure that my ideas and my new behold on music and poesy would be criticized and targeted, but I had to endure.

Both in playing and singing, I did not –and still do not– believe in implying framed and prescribed models and pieces. Since I had not really followed any conventional method and course for a long time, I was able to follow my instinct and my inside.

I believe in a deep relation between music and poems and I do think that in order to have good and pleasant music we should let the poem express itself through a melody. So we need to go deep through the meaning of each word and to draw a painting by the musical notes. In fact, music can draw and paint a poem and it can translate it to a melody. A real artist should be able to stimulate imaginations and draw the landscape of a poem by his music. I do believe that the melody and the intonation sung by a singer should deliver the meaning of the poem and its words. A reliable musician should respect the eternal and un-ignorable relation that exists between music and poesy.

Persian literature is very deep and contemplative and a real artist, a real musician should be confident to it as a supervisor –like an ambassador who represents his country and homeland– by the means of ‘Art’; the international language!

Briefly, I may say that music should be “music of poem” which means that “it is the poem which composes its melody based on its meanings and connotations”. And it just need an awaken spirit and heart.

To create a new compilation, the musician should be dominant on the literature, the history and the culture of his country, especially in rich Persian literature the words and the verses should be comprehended deeply and thoughtfully by the musician. And when he is on the summit of his exploration and knowledge, he can be innovator. If not, he would always be repeating himself or imitating previous musical works, sometimes without even knowing it.

Creation based on wisdom and love will be eternal. A real artist should be daring, creative and curious. He should be able to create things which do not exist and give them life. He should be able to create new styles and new tastes in society. He should act as a leader who shows new paths and presents new visions. An artist, like a scientist, should be inquisitive and he should have scrutinizing eyes and ears. He should be brave and tolerant to all sorts of critics.

Being brave and innovator –of course with reliability and fidelity– demand patience and composure. Creating newness is always first criticized and sometimes it makes enemies. However, the innovator –in this case the musician– should be patient and hopeful and also a good listener, especially in conventional societies, like ours, where old traditions and costumes –to which people are so attached– are dominant and deep-rooted.

An honest artist’s duty is to ameliorate his people’s culture and to expand their tolerance, their vision and imagination. He should also, by his art, increase variation and diversity in his concerned art.

Unfortunately, today our people’s attention –especially the youth’s– towards classical and traditional Persian art and culture is diminishing more and more. The civilization and the culture of a vast country like Iran, on whose poets’, scientists’ and scholars’ honor the world declares celebrations and recognitions, have been ignored and left aside by his own occupants and owners. We should put aside our unkindness and hostility and we should be more attentive and indulgent…

Concerts :

1.      One-night concert in the Mahak hospital (Tehran); a performance of Dance & Fire album, Spring 2008. Singer: Siavash Nazeri.

2.      One-night concert in the Ameneh nursery(Tehran); a performance of Dance & Fire album, Spring 2008. Singer: Siavash Nazeri.

3.      Two-night concert in the Jean-Hiudremont cultural center, Paris, Spring 2009. Singer: Siavash Nazeri.

4.      Concert in the film festival of “Atmosphere”, Laval (France), the Iranian New Year, March 2009. Singer: Siavash Nazeri.

5.      Three-night concert with the Kamkars ensemble, Soleymanieh (Iraq), September 2000. Singer Shahram Nazeri.

6.      One-night concert in the Milad Hall (Tehran) with the Dastan ensemble for the benefits of cancerous children, September 2000. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

7.      Two-night concert in the Milad Hall (Tehran) for the benefits of cancerous and incurable children. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

8.      Tour of concert in Iran with the Molavi ensemble. Singer: Shahram Nazeri:

            Shiraz/Three nights

            Esphahan/Three nights

            Ghazvin/One night

            Rasht/Two nights

            Kermanshah/Two nights

            Karaj/Three nights

            Nour/Two nights

            Tehran (Sad-abad Palace)/Five nights  

9.      One-nights concert in the Vahdat Hall (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble for the benefits of Afghan children, 2002. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

10.  One-night concert in the embassy of Canada (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble for the benefits of Afghanchildren, 2002. Singer: Shahram Nazeri. 

11.  Three-night concert in the Fajr festival (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

12.  One-night concert (Tabriz, Iran) with the Molavi ensemble, 2002. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

13.  One-night concert in Théâtre de la Ville (Paris) with Alireza Feyz Bashipoor, 2002. Singer : Shahram Nazeri.

14.  Three-night concert in the Soudren Theater (Sweden) with the Molavi ensemble, December 2002. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

15.  Concert in Théâtre de Soleil (Paris) with the Molavi ensemble for the benefits of …Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

16.  Three-night concert in the Interior Minister Hall (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble, 2002. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

17.  One-night concert in the Milad Hall (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble for the benefits of the disaster victims of the earth-quake of Bam (Iran), 2003. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

18.  One-night concert in the Royal Festival Hall (London) with the Armenian orchestra (chief of concert: Loris Cheknavarian) for the benefits of the disaster victims of the earth-quake of Bam (Iran), 2004. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

19.  Concert in the music festival of Fez (Marrakesh) with the Molavi ensemble, Juin 2004. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

20.  Concert in the Gann festival (Belgium) with Alireza Feyz Bashipoor in the honor of Rumi, 2004. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

21.  One-night concert in Hafezieh (Shiraz) with the Molavi ensemble in the honor of Hafez, 2004. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

22.  Grand tour of concert in America; New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Huston, Orange County, Washington, Atlanta, Saint José, Boston, Saint Diego, 2005-2006. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

23.  Two-night concert in the Elghelab Stadium (Tehran) with the Kabouki ensemble, 2006. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

24.  Two-night concert in Ghazvin (Iran) with the Molavi ensemble, 2008. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

25.  Concert in the Vahdat Hall (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble, July 2008. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

26.  Four-night concert in Niavaran Palace (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble, August 2008. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

27.  Concert in the Musicat festival (Tunisia) with the Molavi ensemble, October 2008. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

28.  Concert in Sharif University (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble, October 2008. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

29.  Concert in the embassy of France (Tehran) with the Molavi ensemble in the honor of Rumi’s 800-year-birthday day, October 2008. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

30.  Six-night concert in Mazandaran Province (Iran); Nour, Amol, Chaloos with the Molavi ensemble in the honor of Nima Ushij’s birthday, October-November 2008. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

31.  One-night concert in Khoy (Iran) in the honor of Shams Tabrizi with the Molavi ensemble, October 2008. Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

32.  One-night concert in Kerman (Iran) with the Molavi ensemble, December 2008. Singer: shahram Nazeri. 

And many other concerts.

Works :

1.      Dance & Fire album in the honor of the universal day of Rumi. Composer & Singer: Siavash Nazeri.

2.      Horra album, containing Daf playing in solo composed and played by Siavash Nazeri.

3.      Playing the Daf by Siavash Nazeri in Heyrani album. Composer: Keykhosro Poor-Nazeri, Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

4.        Playing the Daf in Molavieh album. Composer &Singer: Shahram Nazeri.

5.      Playing the Daf in Arg album; mixed music composed by Emad Bonakdar.

Certificates :