Manoochehr Sadeghi (born April 13, 1938) is a Persian-American naturalized citizen, born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

, Iran. He is considered a Grandmaster or Ostad of the santur, a Persian

hammered dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more trad ...

. He has been lecturing, teaching, recording and performing Persian classical music on the santur professionally for over 50 years. In 2002, Sadeghi received the Durfee Foundation Master Musician Award and he is a recipient of a 2003

National Heritage Fellowship The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States government's h ...

from the National Endowment of the Arts, which is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.

Early life

Sadeghi began studying the santur at the age of 7 with a music teacher coincidentally named Manoochehr Sadeghian. By the age of 14 he became the prized pupil of a legendary figure in

Persian classical music Persian traditional music or Iranian traditional music, also known as Persian classical music or Iranian classical music, refers to the classical music of Iran (also known as ''Persia''). It consists of characteristics developed through the coun ...

, the late Ostad Abol Hassan Saba; who was a master and creator of the Radif of Saba, considered today's manual to mastering Persian classical music. At the age of 19 he performed in Saba's first orchestra of the State Fine Arts Department of Iran. After performing on Iran's television and radio, he went on to stage live concerts around the world for various heads of state. In 1964, Sadeghi emigrated to the United States to pursue his education and career. First at the

California State University, Fullerton California State University, Fullerton (CSUF or Cal State Fullerton) is a public university in Fullerton, California. With a total enrollment of more than 41,000, it has the largest student body of the 23-campus California State University (CSU) ...

, and then at UCLA, where he began teaching and performing while earning his degrees. In 1973 he was awarded the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship Program.

Career

Sadeghi is recording his latest album, "Solh Ensemble", with world-renowned musician and composer

John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes MBE (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. He currently works as an author, commentator and pundit for ESPN and SuperSport. Initially a quick, skilful left winger, he moved to cent ...

; Barnes co-produced

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

's 1987 ''

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'' album. Sadeghi has a variety of students whom he teaches at home and on the internet. Sadeghi is compiling his lessons into an online music school to preserve his knowledge, technique and personal style through contemporary Persian classical improvisation. He is preparing for a series of concerts after the release of his next album. He taught private lessons in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

from 1953 to 1964 and then in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from 1966 to the present. Sadeghi was a teacher at the Conservatory of Persian National Music in Iran from 1958–1964 on the faculty at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

’s Department of

Ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

from 1967 to 1997. He also taught Persian classical music theory, history and performance, and gave annual concerts on campus and abroad.

Notable live performances

* Command performances for Queen Elizabeth II - Vice President Nixon, King Hussain of Jordan, King Fasil of Iraq, Ronald Reagan, 1953-1964. * India-Persia - Manoochehr Sadeghi (santur), Ali Akbar Khan (sarod), Labera Theatre, Santa Barbara, 1983. * Classical Music of the East – India, Persia, Arabia - M. Sadeghi (santur) & The Jazz and World Music Society, Santa Barbara, 1983. * Music of Iran - Manoochehr Sadeghi, Music Director, Hayedeh, vocalist, UCLA, Society for Ethnomusicology, 1984. * East West Fusion - Manoochehr Sadeghi (santur), L. Subramaniam (violin) and ensemble, UCLA Royce Hall, 1986. * Music and Dance on the Grass - annual international folk festival, UCLA, 1967-1997 - Honoring the 600th anniversary of the birth of Hafez * An Evening of Persian Music - special guest santur virtuoso Manoochehr Sadeghi, Lotte * Sacred Landmarks - Lehmann Hall, UC Santa Barbara, 1993 - concert for the L. A. Festival, All Saints Church, Pasadena, CA, 1993. * Persian Festival - Persian music ensemble directed by Manoochehr Sadeghi, UCLA Fowler Museum, 1995. * Traditional Persian Music - Earth Music Center of Indiana, IUPUI Lecture Hall Auditorium, Indianapolis, IN, 1998. * World Festival of Sacred Music - Mystic Voices - Music of Devotion in Islam and Hinduism," concert Immanuel Presbyterian Church, Los Angeles, 1999. * Smithsonian Institution - Sackler & Freer Gallery 2003 Vision Concert Series * The Kennedy Center - 2003 Vision Concert Series * Japan American Theatre - 2003 Vision Concert Series * J. Paul Getty - 2004 Fusion concert with Pejman Hadadi and Adam del Monte * Grand Performances - 2004 Fusion concert with John Belizikjian and Adam del Monte * University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - 2004 Improvisation Conference - Professor Bruno Nettl * The Virginia National Folk Festival - 2007 concert for the National Folk Festival in Richmond Virginia * Disney Hall - 2007 Concert with the Los Angeles Master Chorale

References

External links

Santur.com - The Art of Persian Music

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20110814112412/http://www.mazdapublisher.com/BookDetails.aspx?BookID=36 Book details - Dariush Tala'i - ''Traditional Persian Art Music''
The Struggle for Iran - radio documentary of the Iran Project

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sadeghi, Manoochehr 1938 births Iranian emigrants to the United States California State University, Fullerton people Child classical musicians Contemporary classical music performers Ethnomusicologists Iranian composers Iranian santur players Kurdish musicians Living people Musicians from Massachusetts National Heritage Fellowship winners Naturalized citizens of the United States Musicians from Los Angeles People from Tehran University of California, Los Angeles alumni World Music Awards winners World music musicians Articles containing video clips