Hazara Music with Elaha Soroor
🎵 May 02, 2024 - Hazara Music:
Elaha Soroor and Roots Revival Ensemble
Roots Revival Series 6:
Afghanistan celebrates the vibrant music and cultural diversity of Afghanistan. This 6th series is a collaboration between Roots Revival, SHIFT, the Odeon Theater Afghan musicians in exile. The experimental project, which combines tradition and innovation, takes up four musical genres from Afghanistan. Afghan guest musicians from around the world will join the Roots Revival Ensemble in Vienna and develop unique interpretations of four Afghan music genres. An incomparable musical performance awaits you! A project developed by Ioana Aminian & Mehdi Aminian.
Hazara Music
Hazara music is a vibrant and diverse musical tradition originating from the Hazara people, who primarily inhabit central Afghanistan and parts of Pakistan. It encompasses a rich array of genres, styles, and instruments that reflect the cultural heritage and history of the Hazara community. Over time, Hazara music has evolved and incorporated influences from neighboring regions, resulting in a unique fusion of traditional and contemporary elements. It serves not only as a form of artistic expression but also as a means of preserving Hazara identity and heritage amidst cultural challenges and political turmoil.
Hazara music holds a revolutionary nature embedded within its cultural fabric, serving as a powerful tool for social change, resilience, and resistance against oppression. The Hazara people, historically marginalized and subjected to discrimination and persecution, have used music as a means of expressing their struggles, aspirations, and resilience in the face of adversity.
ELAHA SOROOR Award-winning musician from Afghanistan, captures the diversity and depth of different continents, societies and musical genres in her works. A former member of the Afghanistan National Orchestra and one of the first female musicians to perform publicly after the fall of the Taliban, she has had an impressive career. Inspired by Afghan and Iranian traditional as well as pop music of the 60s and 70s, her music has taken her to national and international stages. Elaha is also known as a composer and actress for theater, dance and film projects. Her latest album, Songs of our mothers, released with the band Kefaya, was awarded Best Album in the fusion category and received global recognition for its organic fusion of traditional and contemporary sounds that boldly challenge the patriarchy challenges and conveys a powerful message of resistance and emancipation. https://www.elahasoroor.com/bio
GIULIANO MODARELLI Originally from Italy, is a renowned guitarist, composer and producer now based in London. His musical journey took him from the sounds of jazz to a deep connection with the Indian classical tradition, shaped by teachings from masters such as Dharambir Singh and Buddhadev Dasgupta. His unique and visionary style has led him to collaborations with international greats such as Shankar Mahadevan, Talvin Singh and many others. Modarelli founded the award-winning musical ensemble Kefaya, which artfully fuses traditional melodies with contemporary influences. In addition to his outstanding achievements as a musician, Modarelli is a sought-after composer and producer for dance, theater and cinema. His interdisciplinary work includes regular collaborations with renowned artists such as Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Gregory Maqoma. http://www.giuliano-modarelli.com/bio/
MEHDI AMINIAN – Ney, Setar, vocals Mehdi's musical beginnings in Persian music, especially Ney, go back to his youth, which he spent in Iran. He left his country at the age of just 16 and, as he later realized, had a particular interest in experimenting with ancient Persian music. Since his youth he has lived in various countries in Europe and Southeast Asia. Through this and his fascination for Sufi literature and poetry as well as his participation in a wide variety of musical projects, Mehdi Aminian was able to develop a unique artistic style that goes far beyond well-known genres. Over the last ten years he has dedicated himself to the development and implementation of international music and research projects within the “Roots Revival” association he founded, with the aim of establishing a dialogue between different musical traditions around the world.
HAIDER KHAN – percussion, vocals Haider, an internationally acclaimed musician, was born in Gorau, Rajasthan, India and has called Vienna and India home since 2014. Haider founded the ensemble “The Folk Brothers” and works with renowned Indian and international musicians. He is involved in fascinating interdisciplinary projects, including “Mythos Mozart” (2022), the “Traumreise” concert at Vienna’s Musikverein (2022) and an unforgettable performance with the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra at “Hollywood in Vienna” (2017). Haider inspires audiences worldwide with his music that transcends boundaries.
AVIN AHMADI Avin is an Iranian musician, Oud player and vocalist born on a winter day of 2004 in Tehran, Iran. Avin expresses her deepest emotions, thoughts, and experiences through her creative process; inviting listeners on a profound and transformative journey through the power of her music. Her musical journey began at a young age with a true passion for the Oud. Guided by esteemed masters and studying Traditional music at Tehran's music conservatory, she continued her musical path and expanded her skills on the Oud. she has graced renowned venues in Tehran as a soloist and as various ensembles and orchestra's member. After graduating from the conservatory, Avin Embarked a new chapter in her musical journey by relocating to Vienna, Austria. Currently, studying music in Vienna, she explores the realms of jazz, fusion and world music; constatnly learning, exploring, playing with melodies, poems, rythms and deepening her understanding of music.
ABOUT THE PROJECT Since the return of the Taliban in Afghanistan, there has been a massive change in the Afghan cultural scene. Making music is forbidden and has even become life-threatening in a country that has an extraordinary musical culture. The world is once again experiencing a mass exodus of Afghans. Today, Afghan musicians are only allowed to make music in exile. After the first year of regime change, most waves of international support and empathy for Afghanistan have subsided. The challenges to the lives of Afghans and Afghan artists have increased enormously inside and outside the country. With the “Roots Revival Series: Afghanistan” project we would like to draw attention to the diversity and richness of Afghan music and thereby support some of the Afghan musicians. We have a limited number of free tickets for Afghans living in Austria who cannot afford the tickets but would like to be there. If you are interested, please write to roots.revival.official@gmail.com . ROOTS REVIVAL SERIES Is an innovative, international and intercultural project by Roots Revival in cooperation with Theater Odeon. Our goal is to promote the musical diversity of underrepresented minority groups in Austria and the world. At the same time, we offer high quality music content that combines tradition and innovation and gives a deeper musical and cultural understanding of the different cultures under focus, both for us organizers and the musicians involved; and of course for the Austrian and international public. ROOTS REVIVAL ASSOCIATION The Vienna association Roots Revival for the promotion of world musical heritage, led by Mehdi Aminian (musician and ethnomusicologist) and Ioana Aminian (linguist), has set itself the goal of connecting artists with authentic musical heritage, documenting their work and making it known. The collaboration of artists with different cultural backgrounds creates authentic and at the same time contemporary and innovative music through intensive, experimental exchange. The focus should not be on the preservation of traditional musical forms, but rather on the maintenance and lively development of traditional forms in the sense of a direct artistic dialogue.