Brooklyn Maqam is an organization dedicated to presenting Middle Eastern (in particular, Arabic) music, with the goals of expanding its audience, preserving it as an art form, and building community centered around the music.

In light of the recent uprising in Iran, Artistic Freedom Initiative has launched a series of local performances to raise awareness for Iranian artists/activists at the center of the revolution and announce a new program entitled Iranian Artist Support Program (IASP), designed to help vulnerable Iranian artists/activists relocate to safety.

Please join us for a night with Mehrnam Rastegari, master Kamancheh player and world-renowned Iranian musician, composer, singer, and violinist who recently moved to NYC from Tehran, Iran. The night will feature Iranian traditional/folk music, including Kurdish songs, in celebration of the lives of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, Nika Shakarami, and all who lost their lives for demanding basic human rights.

Featuring:
Mehrnam Rastegari: vocal, kamancheh
Daro Behrouzi: woodwinds
John Murchison: qanun, bass
Martin Shamoonpoor: percussion

Mehrnam Rastegari is a well-established Iranian music and film score composer, singer, violinist, and master Kamancheh player. She has been featured in concerts and music festivals worldwide, including Germany, Switzerland, France, Finland, Iran, and Kazakhstan. These performances have occurred at some of the most prestigious music festivals in the world where traditional Iranian music is performed, including the Fajr International Music Festival in Tehran, Iran, and the WOMEX World Music Expo, which occurred in Tampere, Finland.

Rastegari composed the score for multiple award-winning films, including “Dispirited” for which she won the award of “Best Original Score” from the Melbourne City Independent Film Awards (MCIFA), and the film “Rotten,” which was nominated for the original score in Japan Kadoma Festival.