Tara Kamangar

[Rasputin]

Where are you living at the moment and what is you background?

Tara Kamanger: I moved to London in order to pursue my musical career. I like the city because it is very cosmopolitan, with an exciting music scene. I was born in the San Francisco Bay Area and grew up in central California. My parents were born in Iran but moved to the US permanently in 1978. At age 18 I moved to the East Coast to study anthropology at Harvard and at age 22 I moved to London to study piano performance at the Royal Academy of Music.


PM: How did you start your training in music and what does it take to stay with it?

TK: I began private lessons in piano at the age of three and violin at the age of four. Because I had two older brothers who were studying the piano and violin, so I asked my parents for lessons at the age of three, I would sit on my mother's lap and watch their lessons, and I must have felt that I was missing out!

Throughout high school I attended summer music festivals across the US and played violin in several orchestras. In college I took courses in composition, music theory, and ethnomusicology. It helps to start early. Although it sounds very young, three or four is actually an ideal age to begin taking lessons. It is extremely important to have a knowledgeable and caring teacher; otherwise you will pick up many bad habits. Patience and love of music are also necessary.

PM: When was your first performance?

TK: My first performance was at the age of five in Merced, California- I played a Haydn Sonatina for 150 people.


PM: What has been your most memorable experience?

TK: Once, after a performance of Beethoven's 'Waldstein' Sonata, my great-aunt gave me a beautiful turquoise ring off her finger- that really meant a lot to me. Another great reaction was when I played for music producer David Foster last month in Malibu , California; he asked me to perform at a fundraiser at the home of Barbra Streisand the same night.

PM: What is your goal with piano?

TK: I would like to record the beautiful piano works of Iranian composers such as Aminollah Hossein and Loris Tjeknavorian to a major CD label with wide distribution


PM: Where is your favorite place to perform and why?

TK: My favorite place to perform is the Leighton House Museum in London. It is the former studio-house of the Victorian artist, Lord Frederic Leighton. Because he traveled throughout the Middle East in the 1860s, the building a beautiful fusion of European and Middle Eastern culture: an extensive collection of fine art, a dome from Damascus, Islamic tiles and window screens from 15th and 16th century Cairo, etc. I performed piano works by Persian composers there and I felt that the music suited the surroundings.


PM: What are some of the upcoming events?

TK: I just performed at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards in London, for an audience of 700 including the Prime Minister's wife. On June 29th, I will be performing a solo concert at Cadogan Hall in London. You can book tickets at www.cadoganhall.com