Monopoli, “Nino Rota” Conservatory:
“Woman Life Freedom”
Concert in support of Iranian musicians
The “Nino Rota” Conservatory in Monopoli is the first musical institution in Italy to actively express itself through music in favor of the Iranian revolution by proposing a concert that unites everyone, students and teachers, in solidarity with Iranian women.
Over the last few months there has been much discussion of the long list of prohibitions that Iranian women are forced to respect. Among these, however, there is one in particular, perhaps less discussed, on which we would like to light a candle; it is the prohibition for female musicians to perform solo in public.
In a country with thousands of years of history, where the Tehran Conservatory, which has been in operation for more than a century, before the Islamic government in 1979, awarded scholarships to young female students so that they could perfect their studies abroad, any form of expression is currently denied women.
More than 50 years ago Hassan Shirvani, director of the Tehran opera house, moved to Italy to collaborate personally with Rome Teatro dell’Opera in order to study Italian opera closely.
Today, decades later, his granddaughter Leila Shirvani finds herself acting as spokesperson for a long list of artists currently held in Evin Jail awaiting sentencing and possibly a death sentence.
“We feel it is our duty to reach out to fellow musicians at this critical time and believe there is no better way to celebrate freedom than through music, with three female soloists under the direction of a woman,” says Leila Shirvani, cellist of Iranian origin, promoter of the project.
On 16 June at 21 in the cloister of the Nino Rota conservatory in Monopoli, Saria Convertino on the accordion, Paola Devoti on the harp and Leila Shirvani on the cello will perform with the conservatory orchestra directed by Maestro Luisella Chiarini. Guest of honor Valentina Lo Surdo, musician journalist and radio host, who will host the evening.
Concert program:
C. Debussy: Sacred and Profane Dances, for harp and orchestra
(solo harp; Paola Devoti)
R. Galliano: Opal concert, for accordion and strings
(solo accordion; Saria Convertino)
PI. Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, for cello and orchestra
(solo cello; Leila Shirvani)