Diaspora Arts Connection proudly presents Mima Goodarz & Azadeh Farpour in Concert on Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 6 p.m. at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts' SecondStage. In this program that is "dedicated to the brave women of our land," Mima and Azadeh will perform songs from their new album, featuring compositions by Ali Naghi Vaziri, Habib Salehi, Reza Gholi Tajrishi, and Mohammad Eshghi, which will be released soon. Join us for an enchanting evening of beautiful music!
About the Artists
Mehrbanou (Mima) Goodarz: Mehrbanou was born in 1970 in Tehran, Iran. She started developing a passion for traditional Persian music at an early age. Encouraged by her supportive mother, she started her voice lessons with Master Mahmood Karimi at age 15. After his passing away, she continued her lessons with Master Karimian’s protege, Afsane Rasaii. In 1988, she migrated to the US and had her first performance with Oshag Ensemble in Los Angeles. she stayed with Oshagh Ensemble for a few years and moved to the Bay Area in 1995. She continues to perform and hopes that she can introduce the beauty of this music to others.
Azadeh Farpour: Azadeh Farpour received a Master's degree in Women Studies in Iran. She finished traditional Persian music Iranian music training with Pari Maleki and Master Mohsen Keramati, in Iran. Azadeh has performed concerts in Iran and in the U.S. since 2010. She performed in the play "Tarabnameh" written and directed by Bahram Beyzaie.
Asaf Ophir on flute: Asaf Ophir began his career as a woodwind player in musical theater, performing on some of the most distinguished stages in Israel. Currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ophir is often invited to collaborate with artists from a wide variety of cultures, including Jewish, Arabic, European, Persian, Kurdish, and others. Equally at home with classical, jazz, and world music, Ophir has shared the stage with Miri Mesika, Avi Kushnir, Galit Giat, David De'or, Ustad Mahwash, Rana Farhan, and Barbara Streisand.
Aysha Gomez-Kureishi is a premier San Francisco Bay Area harpist. She performs on her Lyon & Healy Style 23 Gold Premium harp. Aysha began studying the harp at the age of seven. Her studies began with Sabrina von Lüdinghausen in Germany, where she won a series of youth harp competitions. Her harp studies continued in China and Singapore, where she frequently performed for High Tea at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. She has performed in France, Germany, China, Singapore, and the US. Aysha received her BA and MA from Stanford University under the direction of Marjorie Chauvel. Aysha currently resides with her husband and two Australian Shepherd puppies in the Bay Area, where she maintains a private harp studio. In her free time, Aysha enjoys arranging new music for harp, reading, practicing yoga, hiking, and cooking/baking experiments.
Daniel Fabricant on bass: Bassist Daniel Fabricant (he/him) has performed internationally with Piaf! The Show, Billy Porter, Michael Feinstein, Liza Minnelli, Betty Buckley, Joan Rivers, Spencer Day, Ann Hampton Callaway, Petula Clark, and Mary Wilson of the Supremes, among others. In the Bay Area, he regularly plays with Lavay Smith And Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Rupa and the April Fishes, and Redwood Tango Ensemble. Musicals include Paradise Square at Berkeley Rep, Fiddler on The Roof at the Golden Gate Theater, and 1776 at American Conservatory Theater. Fabricant is also an accomplished music instructor, teaching orchestra, guitar, bass and ukulele to students of all ages in private and group settings. His pandemic project has been raising his fierce and loving toddler named Ila.
Elyse Weakley on piano: Called, “Spirited and powerful,” by critics at the San Francisco Classical Voice for her solo concert of works for Piano and Electronics at the Center for New Music, Elyse Weakley, M.M. has taken part in a wide array of musical projects and has served in many roles including: music director, pianist, educator and composer. Throughout her career she has performed many contemporary works and has frequently collaborated directly with composers and songwriters in recording and presenting their music as a soloist and collaborator including Mason Bates, The Hurd Ensemble and Redwood Tango Ensemble. RTE recently released their latest album, Prizefighter on Ears&Eyes Records and toured North America in the fall of 2018 and 2019. The Hurd Ensemble was featured at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. and their album Navigation without Numbers is available on Innova Recordings. Elyse also collaborated with the Lucas Valley Chamber Orchestra presenting Mozart’s Piano Concerto in F Major, K. 413.
Art by Negar Soltani
