Classical Violin Brings Afghan, Iranian to Indiana
2022-12-04
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1Mehran Fanous wanted to play the violin from the moment he first heard a recording at the age of six.
2And ten-year-old Parastoo Heidarinejad heard that the instrument was difficult to play, so she wanted a challenge.
3The dream of becoming a violinist has taken them from their native Afghanistan and Iran to Bloomington, Indiana.
4The small city in the Midwest is also home to the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, the largest music school in the United States.
5Mehran was six years old when he listened to his brother's recording of Zigeunerweisen for violin.
6Hearing that recording made Mehran want to learn Western classical music and play the instrument.
7Just a year later, Mehran's musical ability won him a place at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, or ANIM.
8There, he studied with William Harvey, who happened to be the violinist in the recording.
9Harvey, who studied violin under Mimi Zweig at Jacobs School of Music, is also the founder of Cultures in Harmony.
10The organization brings musicians from different countries together.
11One of its main goals is "to promote international and cultural understanding through music and interaction."
12Even before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's government in August of 2021, Mehran's family knew they must leave for him to follow his dream.
13The Taliban does not permit playing or listening to music.
14With help from the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Mehran and his mother left Afghanistan for India where he continued online learning with Harvey.
15Meanwhile, his father, who sings traditional Afghan music, left Afghanistan for the U.S. in August 2021.
16And his brother Elham was studying piano at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.
17Mehran arrived in the U.S in December 2021 after his acceptance at Jacobs with help from Harvey and Zweig. Mehran told VOA about the experience:
18"Somehow, I just felt when I came to the United States, like I was really happy, like when I was in the classroom, I was enjoying my every moment. . . When I sit in the classroom, I really feel happy. . ."
19Mehran said he practices violin about five or six hours a day- three hours in the morning between classes, and another three hours at night.
20He wants to be able to perform the most famous pieces, such as Tchaikovsky's concerto for violin.
21His teacher Zweig observed that Mehran has talent and works hard.
22"He's so smart and so gifted, and he's practicing all the time."
23When asked about the way people view Afghanistan, Mehran said:
24"People judge Afghanistan based on Taliban sometimes, which is really, like, not good. So a good example that I can give right now,. . . I was in Afghanistan, and if it wasn't for Afghanistan, I could never start music. Like, there was a music school at least in Afghanistan."
25Heidarinejad goes by the name Parastoo.
26Growing up, she listened to both Persian and Western music.
27Her father played Setar, a traditional Persian instrument, and her older sister was learning to play piano.
28Having heard that the violin is a difficult instrument to play, she chose it.
29"I wanted to challenge myself," she said.
30Parastoo's family moved often, so she did not receive methodical training until the age of 17.
31At that time, she traveled every week to Iran's capital city of Tehran, to take lessons.
32A year later, she was accepted into the University of Tehran.
33She said it was the beginning of her journey to be a violinist.
34Like Mehran, Parastoo recognized that to be a classical violinist, she would need to find training in a Western country.
35She is now a second-year master's student in historical performance and Baroque violin at the Jacobs School of Music.
36The Baroque period in classical music dates from about 1600 to 1750.
37"What makes this genre of music very special and interesting to me is that even if I listen to or play the same piece many times, there are still new things to discover."
38She said that while her music education in the U.S. is close to what she received in Iran, in the U.S. there are many more music festivals and competitions for performers.
39It took Parastoo some time to feel more comfortable with speaking English.
40During this period, she discovered something she liked very much about U.S. culture.
41"I was very surprised by how much people were supportive and patient with me.They were listening so carefully without interrupting or correcting me and trying to understand what I was trying to say."
42It also helps that there is a Persian community in Bloomington, Indiana.
43"We usually celebrate important Persian events such as the new year together. I also have incredible non-Persian friends at school that I spend most of my free time with."
44Parastoo aims to continue her study for a Doctorate in Baroque violin performance.
45And she hopes to teach Baroque music and Historical Performance in Iran someday.
46For now, Mehran and Parastoo are bringing music and cultures together in the small college town.
47I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Caty Weaver.
1Mehran Fanous wanted to play the violin from the moment he first heard a recording at the age of six. And ten-year-old Parastoo Heidarinejad heard that the instrument was difficult to play, so she wanted a challenge. 2The dream of becoming a violinist has taken them from their native Afghanistan and Iran to Bloomington, Indiana. The small city in the Midwest is also home to the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, the largest music school in the United States. 3Mehran 4Mehran was six years old when he listened to his brother's recording of Zigeunerweisen for violin. Hearing that recording made Mehran want to learn Western classical music and play the instrument. 5Just a year later, Mehran's musical ability won him a place at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, or ANIM. There, he studied with William Harvey, who happened to be the violinist in the recording. 6Harvey, who studied violin under Mimi Zweig at Jacobs School of Music, is also the founder of Cultures in Harmony. The organization brings musicians from different countries together. One of its main goals is "to promote international and cultural understanding through music and interaction." 7Even before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan's government in August of 2021, Mehran's family knew they must leave for him to follow his dream. The Taliban does not permit playing or listening to music. 8With help from the UN refugee agency UNHCR, Mehran and his mother left Afghanistan for India where he continued online learning with Harvey. Meanwhile, his father, who sings traditional Afghan music, left Afghanistan for the U.S. in August 2021. And his brother Elham was studying piano at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. 9Mehran arrived in the U.S in December 2021 after his acceptance at Jacobs with help from Harvey and Zweig. Mehran told VOA about the experience: 10"Somehow, I just felt when I came to the United States, like I was really happy, like when I was in the classroom, I was enjoying my every moment. . . When I sit in the classroom, I really feel happy. . ." 11Mehran said he practices violin about five or six hours a day- three hours in the morning between classes, and another three hours at night. He wants to be able to perform the most famous pieces, such as Tchaikovsky's concerto for violin. 12His teacher Zweig observed that Mehran has talent and works hard. 13"He's so smart and so gifted, and he's practicing all the time." 14When asked about the way people view Afghanistan, Mehran said: 15"People judge Afghanistan based on Taliban sometimes, which is really, like, not good. So a good example that I can give right now,. . . I was in Afghanistan, and if it wasn't for Afghanistan, I could never start music. Like, there was a music school at least in Afghanistan." 16Parastoo 17Heidarinejad goes by the name Parastoo. 18Growing up, she listened to both Persian and Western music. Her father played Setar, a traditional Persian instrument, and her older sister was learning to play piano. Having heard that the violin is a difficult instrument to play, she chose it. "I wanted to challenge myself," she said. 19Parastoo's family moved often, so she did not receive methodical training until the age of 17. At that time, she traveled every week to Iran's capital city of Tehran, to take lessons. A year later, she was accepted into the University of Tehran. She said it was the beginning of her journey to be a violinist. 20Like Mehran, Parastoo recognized that to be a classical violinist, she would need to find training in a Western country. She is now a second-year master's student in historical performance and Baroque violin at the Jacobs School of Music. 21The Baroque period in classical music dates from about 1600 to 1750. 22"What makes this genre of music very special and interesting to me is that even if I listen to or play the same piece many times, there are still new things to discover." 23She said that while her music education in the U.S. is close to what she received in Iran, in the U.S. there are many more music festivals and competitions for performers. 24It took Parastoo some time to feel more comfortable with speaking English. During this period, she discovered something she liked very much about U.S. culture. 25"I was very surprised by how much people were supportive and patient with me. They were listening so carefully without interrupting or correcting me and trying to understand what I was trying to say." 26It also helps that there is a Persian community in Bloomington, Indiana. 27"We usually celebrate important Persian events such as the new year together. I also have incredible non-Persian friends at school that I spend most of my free time with." 28Parastoo aims to continue her study for a Doctorate in Baroque violin performance. And she hopes to teach Baroque music and Historical Performance in Iran someday. 29For now, Mehran and Parastoo are bringing music and cultures together in the small college town. 30I'm Andrew Smith. And I'm Caty Weaver. 31Andrew Smith wrote this story for VOA Learning English. 32____________________________________________________________ 33Words in This Story 34challenge -n. something difficult to do or accomplish 35journey -n. a travel experience, usually of long distance and duration 36genre -n. a category or style of art 37interrupt -v. to do or say something that makes another person stop what they are doing or saying 38incredible -adj. excellent, amazing, beyond ordinary 39____________________________________________________________ 40We want to hear from you. 41We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 42Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.