Who Is Mohsen Namjoo?

April 12, 2012

Taken from Mohsen Namjoo's official website, www.mohsennamjoo.com. Mohsen Namjoo is an Iranian artist, songwriter, singer, music scholar and setar (traditional Persian lute) player based in California. Born in 1976 in Torbat-e Jam, Iran, Namjoo began his musical training at the age of twelve, studying under Nasrollah Nasehpoor until the age of eighteen. In 1994 Namjoo began to study Theater and Music at the University of Tehran, where he was trained under Alireza Mashayekhi, Azin Movahed and other masters. Namjoo also studied Iranian folk music under Haj Ghorbane Soleimani. His unique music style resembles a patchwork of Persian classical poetry of Hafez, Rumi or Saadi with western music, namely rock, blues, and jazz.   Since 2003, Namjoo has recorded parts of his works in Tehran. His debut album titled Toranj was officially released in Iran in September 2007 with his own voice featured in most of his creations. He has also composed soundtracks for movies and plays, and was featured in the documentary Sounds of Silence (directed by Amir Hamz and Mark Lazarz) which has been screened at international film festivals. He also appeared in a feature narrative film called Few Kilograms of Dates for the Funeral (Director Saman Salur). Namjoo’s first performance outside of Iran was in January 2006 at the Tehran Hotspot of the International Rotterdam Film Festival where he played solo. In 2009 he was sentenced in absentia to a five-year jail term by the Iranian revolutionary courts for allegedly ridiculing the ash-Shams, a sura of Qur’an in the song named “Shams” . The conviction took place in spite of his formal apology. After establishing in the West, he sang this song in his Oy album which was produced in Italy in 2009.   In 2008 Namjoo kicked off his first solo US tour, which granted him the Visiting Artist Fellowship at Stanford University, co-sponsored by the Christina & Hamid Moghadam Program in Iranian Studies and the Music Department at Stanford. In 2010, Namjoo partnered with Payam Entertainment to present Namjoo in A Minor with a new ensemble centered around some of his most popular and controversial songs. They performed at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the Sony Center in Toronto, Canada and the Herbst Theater in San Francisco. Payam Entertainment released Namjoo’s latest album Useless Kisses in 2011, and Alaki in 2012, which live recording from a performance at the Stanford University in February 2011. In the fall of 2011, Namjoo joined the team of celebrated New Yorke based Iranian artist Shirin Neshat as the music director of her performance OverRuled, commissioned by the Performa 2011 Festival in New York City. He is currently working with the Iranian filmmaker, scholar and play write, Bahram Beyzai on his new project commissioned by Stanford University. Namjoo continues touring the world and creating new music. His new album entitled “Thirteen/Eight” is due in the fall of 2012.   Hailed as “the Bob Dylan of Iran” by the New York Times, Mohsen Namjoo is a visionary artist who speaks for and touches the souls of today’s youth. Seamlessly blending the Classical with the Modern, the ancient with the current, Mohsen Namjoo is a true musical maverick.  

2012 Nowruz Festival Breaks Record

March 23, 2012

The 2012 Nowruz Festival broke the record for the largest Nowruz celebration in the entire South of the United States.  With over 4000 in attendance, the audience was delighted with the programming while breaking last year's record 3500+ attendance.  Hosted by the Iranian Cultural Foundation for the fourth year at Discovery Green Park, the event was chaired by ICF board member Dr. Saina Esfandiari with a dedicated crew over 40 committee members and volunteers.   Emceeing the event for the second year in a row was ABC 13's own Sonia Azad.  She was joined by Iranian comedian Tehran SoParvaz.  The children of the ICF school delighted audiences with various dance and song routines including a Haft Seen presentation and a rendition of "Ey Iran".  Amin Marashi took to stage for the first time in Houston in front of a festival audience and did not disappoint.  The crowd went crazy for his original pop stylings and covers of retro hits.  The evening was concluded with none other than the king of Persian pop music, Shahram Shabpareh.  With over 20 albums worth of music, he delighted the audience with both old and new hits.   The ICF would like to thank everyone in attendance for yet another memorable year.  ICF has more exciting concerts and events coming up throughout the year so stay tuned.  Please also contact us if you're interested in our week-long summer day camp program for kids.  We are currently generating an interest list for all age levels.

New Year Party 2012

March 17, 2012

Sudi Samandari Publishes Zan Magazine

March 6, 2012

One more reason to be proud as an Iranian-Houstonian!  Published by Sudy Samandari, the daughter of a lifetime journalist who published Golchin to the last breath of his life, Zan Magazine stands tall among all publications attempted by the Iranian diaspora in the last 30 years—bar none.  With only two issues published, Zan has already received international attention and praise. Zan is a long-overdue work of journalism that puts Houston on the map one more time.  Staffed by talented professionals, this prestigious publication boasts Sudy Samandari as Editor in Chief (SudySamandari@ZanMagazine.com) and Dr. Baharak Sedigh, as managing editor (BaharakSedigh@ZanMagazine.com).  Subscription to this magazine is a must for all sophisticated women—men can sneak a glance when women are not looking! ICF congratulates Sudy and her team for their remarkable cultural endeavor. To learn more about Zan Magazine, check out this interview with Ms. Samandari on ABC 13's Visions. Max Jameson

An Entrepreneur’s State of Mind

February 22, 2012

This event is a quarterly evening event hosted by the Association of Iranian-American Professionals Thursday, March 8, 6-9 PM Golden Samavar 12126 Westheimer Road Houston, TX 77077 Please call 281-497-3290 for more information. An Entrepreneur’s State of Mind What characters define an entrepreneur? How to seize opportunities and turn them into achievements? How to maintain balance in your life while building a start-up? What exit strategies to adopt? Please join us to hear Mr. Shahin Shadfar CEO omNovia Technologies present the various issues to consider before starting a technology start-up.  Mr. Shadfar  will discuss opportunities as well as challenges an entrepreneur will face in their journey. Relying on personal experience, he will focus his presentation on the human factor, as the most critical in defining the success or failure of a start-up company.  This will be an exciting presentation – DON’T MISS IT! –  We look forward to seeing you there.  Please note, admissions is $30 per person and includes dinner. Speaker Bio: Shahin Shadfar is the founder and CEO of omNovia Technologies Inc, a Houston-based software company providing cutting edge web conferencing and webinar solutions in over 40 countries. Prior to starting omNovia in 2004, Shahin was a member of the engineering team that invented the first Java and cryptography based smart card in 1997 and later co-founded the Information Security group at Schlumberger. Shahin’s rare combination of technical skills with business leadership has proven critical to omNovia Technologies’ rapid growth. Shahin holds a Master of Science in Computer Science from Ecole Supérieure d’Electricité in Paris and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech in Atlanta.      

Persian Festival 2012

This is not an ICF event, though ICF will be selling Nowruz Festival tickets at this event. Chahar Shanbeh Soori Tuesday, March 13 at 6pm Live music and DJ with special performance by Mehrdad NY This festival is designed for children. Ayva Center 9371 Richmond Avenue Houston, TX  77063 (Between Gessner and Fondren) Moonwalks, jugglers, face painting, balloons, fireworks, and much more. Persian food, kabob, aash, sholeh zard, and much more. For more information, please call 713-931-4534.

Max Amini Comedy

January 26, 2012

An Iranpad Org. Event Series Tickets: $35 & $50 Refreshments will be served along with Iranian live music (starring Amin & Parya) PG-13 Free Parking Tickets are available through Kasra Persian Grill, Super Vanak and Garson Restaurant as well aswww.standupcomedytickets.com For more information please contact: 818-802-2251

ICF Welcomes Naseem Nikooei

If you visit the ICF office or call us on the phone, you will be greeted with the warm and welcoming voice of Naseem Nikooei, our new Office Manager.  She was born and raised in Houston, Texas, but she travels to Iran at least once a year to visit her relatives and gain knowledge of the beautiful Persian culture. She is fluent in Farsi and English. Naseem is a full-time Pre-Medicine student at the University of Houston and is striving to become a Pediatric Cardiologist. She spends her free time volunteering at hospitals, schools, and clinics. She also loves being a helping hand to her Iranian-American community.  She is very excited to be part of this group effort at ICF to serve our community. She has proven to be a smart, responsible, dedicated employee who is fully capable of performing her assignments with minimal or no supervision. Next time you visit ICF or call our office, please give her a word of encouragement and appreciation.  We all welcome Naseem to the ICF family.

ICF Congratulates Its Three New Board Members

January 18, 2012

The Iranian Cultural Foundation - Houston (ICF) held a general meeting in December of 2011 to fill three vacancies on its board.  Elections were held with five candidates participating.  The three new board members are Majid Jamea, Husein Hadi, and Mehran Talabi.  Congratulations to all of them and the entire organization and community looks forward to their contributions and vision.   Majid Jamea is President of Networtech, a web marketing consulting company that provides online marketing services to corporations and individuals. He was raised in Iran, Tehran and currently Majid lives in Houston with his wife and his daughter. He has been helping and a positive impact for ICF since Nowruz of 2011 and wants to continue to be involved. Majid is also maintaining the ICF website.   Mehran Talabi received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Houston Law Center in 2002 and has been a licensed Texas lawyer since November 2002. He is also licensed to practice law in California. Mr. Talabi is licensed to practice before all state courts in Texas, and the Federal District Court for the Southern District of Texas. Prior to establishing Talabi & Associates, P.C., Mr. Talabi gained valuable experience in the fields of insurance defense, subrogation, plaintiff’s mass torts litigation, and immigration law at several prestigious local law firms. Mehran would like to become a active and involved member of ICF.   Husein Hadi graduated in 2006 from the University of Houston with a B.B.A. in Entrepreneurship. He then received his Juris Doctorate from Texas Southern University in 2008, and has been a licensed attorney in Texas since May 2009. Mr. Hadi is licensed to practice before all state courts in Texas. Mr. Hadi previously worked at the Gutierrez Law Firm. His current practice includes personal injury litigation. Mr. Hadi believes that ICF is a great impact in our society today and would like to be a part of making ICF expand.  

Ziba Shirazi Concert

A NIGHT OF JAZZ IN AN INTIMATE SETTING WITH ZIBA SHIRAZI 100 SEATS ONLY   DATE :  JAN, 29, 2012   TIME :  7:00 PM (DOORS OPEN @ 6:00 PM)   PLACE:  OVATIONS NIGHT CLUB 2536  TIMES BLVD. #B HOUSTON, TX  77005   ADMISSION: $35.00 ADVANCE  $40.00 @ THE DOOR   To Purchase Ticket Online Please Go To:  http://zibashirazi.com/calendar   If you wish to obtain your ticket in Houston, please contact: saina.esfandiari@gmail.com   Ziba Shirazi www.zibashirazi.com zan@zibashirazi.com