World Music Institute - WMI Plus at Home World Music Institute

Watch Haleh Liza Gafori and Shahzad Ismaily in a conversation about the timeless and universal appeal of the music and poetry of Rumi. Rumi was a Persian Sufi mystic and dervish from the 13th century whose spiritual writings have inspired people across borders and different faiths, making him one of the most beloved poets around the world. He has amassed a celebrity following including Brad Pitt, Chris Martin, Beyoncé, and Jay Z who are drawn to his eternal message of peace and transformation.

Other singers of Rumi's poetry mentioned in the conversation: Homayun Shajarian | Mohammad-Reza Shajarian | Shahram Nazeri | Parisa

Haleh Liza Gafori is a translator, vocalist, poet, and composer born in New York City of Persian descent. Her book of translations, "Gold: Poems by Rumi", was published by New York Review Books in 2022. Supported by a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, Gafori has created a musical, cross-media performance piece based on the book, weaving translations, original text, and compositions sung in Persian and English which she debuted at the New York Public Library.

Shahzad Ismaily is a Brooklyn-based musician, composer, and engineer who founded Figure 8 Recording. Often referred to as the “musician’s favorite musician”, he has collaborated with many avant-garde artists and composers including Laurie Anderson, Anthony Coleman, and Marc Ribot. WMI presented Love In Exile, his collaboration with Arooj Aftab and Vijay Iyer based on their Grammy Award-nominated album, at Town Hall in 2023.

More about Haleh Liza Gafori - https://www.halehliza.com
More about Shahzad Ismaily and Figure 8 Recording - https://www.figure8recording.com


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Grammy Award-winning Israeli-born composer, clarinetist, and educator Oran Etkin and Brazilian pianist, arranger, composer, and producer Benjamin Taubkin came together to discuss their passion for and commitment to engaging in a musical dialogue with artists from other cultures to build bridges between people around the globe.  They shared music and chatted about working together on Oran's innovative project Open Arms which will be released in January 2024.

More about Oran Etkin and the Open Arms Project
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Mehrnam Rastegari is an award-winning score composer, singer, and master kamancheh player. Originally born in Iran, she now lives in NYC. For this WMI Plus At Home session, she is joined in conversation with her friend and fellow composer and kamancheh player Niloufar Shiri. Mehrnam shares music and the two artists discuss their instruments and personal musical journeys, as well as the challenges facing women musicians in Iran today. Mehrnam also joined us for a FolkTales session.

More about Mehrnam Rastegari

Link to FolkTales session "Parinaz and the Golden Lamp"
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Yasser Tejeda, an award-winning Dominican composer, guitarist, vocalist, and producer, shares music and talks with author and journalist Ed Morales about his third album La Madrugada (Daybreak), the African roots of Dominican traditions,  the influences of life in NYC  on his music,  and the message behind his single "Tu Eres Bonita".
 
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Multi-lingual composer, vocalist, and cellist Dom La Nena joins journalist Catalina Maria Johnson (Beat Latino) for a special WMI Plus At Home conversation from Dom's home in Paris. She performs songs from her critically-acclaimed solo album Tempo (Six Degrees Records) and shares stories about her unique career path that took her from her home in Brazil to Argentina and France, as well as the distinct melodies of the three languages - Portuguese, Spanish, and French - that she uses in her music.

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WMI Plus At Home experiences are supported by a grant from Con Edison and world music lovers like you. We thank you!
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This special WMI Plus At Home Session commemorates Yom HaShoah - Holocaust Remembrance Day.  Join members of the Payadora Tango Ensemble and Lenka Lichtenberg with journalist/music producer Dan Rosenberg  as they present stories and music from Silent Tears: the Last Yiddish Tango (Six Degrees Records), a project based on poems, testimonies, and writings of women who were subjected to sexual violence and torture during the Holocaust. Some songs are from a project led by Dr. Paula David, a social worker at a Toronto Jewish care home who helped survivors to process their trauma by writing collective poetry. Others are from Molly Applebaum, a Toronto-based author, who, during her adolescent years, was buried underground in a small wooden box in a barn in Poland during the war.

More about Silent Tears: The Last Yiddish Tango

WMI Plus At Home experiences are supported by a grant from Con Edison and world music lovers like you. We thank you!
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