Classical Violin Brings Afghan, Iranian to Indiana

Classical Violin Brings Afghan, Iranian to Indiana

Mehran Fanous wanted to play the violin from the moment he first heard a recording¹ at the age of six. And ten-year-old Parastoo Heidarinejad heard that the instrument was difficult to play, so she wanted a challenge.

The 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.

Mehran

Mehran 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.

Just 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.

Harvey, who studied violin under Mimi Zweig at Jacobs School of Music, is also the founder² 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 interaction³."

Even 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.

With help from the UN refugee⁴ agency⁵ UNHCR, Mehran and his mother left Afghanistan for India where he continued online learning⁶ 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.

Mehran arrived in the U.S in December 2021 after his acceptance⁷ at Jacobs with help from Harvey and Zweig. Mehran told VOA about the experience:

"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. . ."

Mehran 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 concerto⁸ for violin.

His teacher Zweig observed that Mehran has talent and works⁹ hard.

"He's so smart and so gifted, and he's practicing all the time."

When asked about the way people view Afghanistan, Mehran said:

"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."

Parastoo

Heidarinejad goes by the name Parastoo.

Growing 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.

Parastoo'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.

Like 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.

The Baroque period in classical music dates from about 1600 to 1750.

"What makes this genre¹⁰ 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."

She 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.

It 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.

"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."

It also helps that there is a Persian community in Bloomington, Indiana.

"We usually celebrate important Persian events such as the new year together. I also have incredible¹¹ non-Persian friends at school that I spend most of my free time with."

Parastoo aims to continue her study for a Doctorate¹² in Baroque violin performance. And she hopes to teach Baroque music and Historical Performance in Iran someday.

For now, Mehran and Parastoo are bringing music and cultures together in the small college town.

Words in This Story

challenge -n. something difficult to do or accomplish

journey -n. a travel experience, usually of long distance and duration¹³

genre -n. a category or style of art

interrupt -v. to do or say something that makes another person stop what they are doing or saying

incredible -adj. excellent, amazing, beyond ordinary

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 Founder   

n.创始者，缔造者

参考例句：

• He was extolled as the founder of their Florentine school.他被称颂为佛罗伦萨画派的鼻祖。
• According to the old tradition,Romulus was the founder of Rome.按照古老的传说，罗穆卢斯是古罗马的建国者。

3 interaction   

n.交流；相互作用，相互影响，合作

参考例句：

• The interaction of the two groups produced many good ideas.两个组的相互交流产生了许多好主意。
• Price is determined through the interaction of demand and supply.价格在供需的相互作用中形成。

4 refugee   

n.难民，流亡者

参考例句：

• The refugee was condemned to a life of wandering.这个难民注定要过流浪的生活。
• The refugee is suffering for want of food and medical supplies.难民苦于缺少食物和医药用品。

5 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

6 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

7 acceptance   

n.接受，接收，验收，接纳；承认，认可

参考例句：

• The new laws gained widespread acceptance.新法令受到广泛赞同。
• It took years for Einstein's theory to gain acceptance.爱因斯坦的理论经过多年才被人们接受。

8 concerto   

n.协奏曲

参考例句：

• The piano concerto was well rendered.钢琴协奏曲演奏得很好。
• The concert ended with a Mozart violin concerto.音乐会在莫扎特的小提琴协奏曲中结束。

9 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

10 genre   

n.(文学、艺术等的)类型，体裁，风格

参考例句：

• My favorite music genre is blues.我最喜欢的音乐种类是布鲁斯音乐。
• Superficially,this Shakespeare's work seems to fit into the same genre.从表面上看， 莎士比亚的这个剧本似乎属于同一类型。

11 incredible   

adj.难以置信的，不可信的，极好的，大量的

参考例句：

• Some planets run at incredible speed.某些星球以难以置信的速度运行着。
• Her answer showed the most incredible stupidity.她的回答显示出不可思议的愚蠢。

12 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

13 duration   

n.持久；期间；持续时间

参考例句：

• For the duration of the strike we will remain closed.罢工期间，我们将停业。
• He was prepared to do this for the duration of the campaign.他准备好在选举期间做这件事。