Tweet
Mamak Khadem
Mamak Khadem is a singer.
By nature, she is a nomad, one who thrives on open spaces. By occupation, she is a bridge, one that connects geography to lore. In music, she is open to cultural influences, but she has chosen the classical Persian style as her base. She was born in Iran, at a time when tides were changing. She was part of the Children's Choir for National Radio and Television of Iran, but it wasn't until the late 1970s and after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that her passion for singing waxed.
Inspired by works of master musicians in the 1980s, she seized every opportunity to further her vocal art, regularly traveling back to Iran to study with some of the finest Persian vocalists and masters. She benefited from classical Indian singing tradition at Ali Akbar Khan College of Music in northern California and from Bulgarian chore of Nevenka while exploring the traditional music of Greece, Turkey, and Armenia.
Performances
Mamak is best known as the singer of the cross-cultural Persian fusion ensemble Axiom of Choice, which was established in 1990 in Los Angeles. The ensemble broke grounds. With Axiom, Iranian musicians and artists realized that there was another way of looking at music. The singer herself started using the classical Persian repertoire with other musical traditions. Following the release of their three albums -- Beyond Denial (1994), Niayesh (2000), and Unfolding (2002) -- the ensemble, which employed the talents of musicians from the United States, Armenian, and Iran, among others, held public performances in the US and Europe. Together with her own solo performances, some of these included:
California Plaza (part of Grand Performances summer series) (2002), the S***ball Cultural Center (2001), the Greek Theater (2002), World Festival of Sacred Music, Los Angeles (2002), the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC (2002), Los Angeles County Museum of Arts (2003), Voices of Women Festival in Greece (2004), Museum of Folk Instruments, Athens, Greece (2006), Irish World academy Of Music and Dance, University of limerick (2007).
Workshops & Classes
Besides appearing in public performances, Mamak has been teaching voice lessons. Since 2001 she has been a regular voice trainer in the Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp held each year at Mendocino, California. Many of her students now use her vocal techniques in their practices and performances. She has held regular music workshops, including the Labyrinth School of Music (summer of 2006) in Hudetsi, Greece, the Irish World Academy Of Music and Dance, University of Limerick (spring of 2007), and University of Toronto (autumn of 2007).
Since the early 1980s, Mamak has been teaching mathematics and is currently a part-time faculty member in the math department of Santa Monica College. She has also worked with children with learning difficulties for over 12 years. These teaching experiences have given her the inspiration to come up with novel techniques to work with her voice students.
Film, Play and Television
Mamak has recorded with Hans Zimmer (on the feature soundtrack to the motion picture Peace Maker), Joel McNeally (on the soundtrack to Buffalo Soldier and Dark Angels TV series), Jeff Rona (on the score of Traffic and Profiler TV series), Marco Beltrami (on the feature soundtrack to the motion picture Dracula 2000), Chris Beck (on the score to Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series), Richard Gibbs (on the score of Battlestar Galactica TV series), and Jamshid Sharifi (on the feature soundtrack to the motion picture Persona Non Grata).
She sang for the music score of a theatrical production, Majles-e Shabih, composed by Iranian composer and ethnomusicologist Mohammad Reza Darvishi. The play was written and directed by renowned Iranian playwright and director Bahram Bayzai. It took the stage of Tehran's City Theater in the summer of 2005. Mamak also sang for the Libation Bearers, a play directed by Lee Breurer at Patras Festival in Greece (2006), The music of the Libation Bearers was composed by Eve Beglarian.
Feature Singer
Besides recording with film composers, Mamak has worked, performed and recorded with Turkish singer Omar Faruk Tekbilek (on the album Alif), Jamshid Sharifi (0n "A Prayer for the Soul of Layla"), and Tulku (on "Season of Souls" compiled in one of the Buddha Bar CD series).
By nature, she is a nomad, one who thrives on open spaces. By occupation, she is a bridge, one that connects geography to lore. In music, she is open to cultural influences, but she has chosen the classical Persian style as her base. She was born in Iran, at a time when tides were changing. She was part of the Children's Choir for National Radio and Television of Iran, but it wasn't until the late 1970s and after the Iranian Revolution of 1979 that her passion for singing waxed.
Inspired by works of master musicians in the 1980s, she seized every opportunity to further her vocal art, regularly traveling back to Iran to study with some of the finest Persian vocalists and masters. She benefited from classical Indian singing tradition at Ali Akbar Khan College of Music in northern California and from Bulgarian chore of Nevenka while exploring the traditional music of Greece, Turkey, and Armenia.
Performances
Mamak is best known as the singer of the cross-cultural Persian fusion ensemble Axiom of Choice, which was established in 1990 in Los Angeles. The ensemble broke grounds. With Axiom, Iranian musicians and artists realized that there was another way of looking at music. The singer herself started using the classical Persian repertoire with other musical traditions. Following the release of their three albums -- Beyond Denial (1994), Niayesh (2000), and Unfolding (2002) -- the ensemble, which employed the talents of musicians from the United States, Armenian, and Iran, among others, held public performances in the US and Europe. Together with her own solo performances, some of these included:
California Plaza (part of Grand Performances summer series) (2002), the S***ball Cultural Center (2001), the Greek Theater (2002), World Festival of Sacred Music, Los Angeles (2002), the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC (2002), Los Angeles County Museum of Arts (2003), Voices of Women Festival in Greece (2004), Museum of Folk Instruments, Athens, Greece (2006), Irish World academy Of Music and Dance, University of limerick (2007).
Workshops & Classes
Besides appearing in public performances, Mamak has been teaching voice lessons. Since 2001 she has been a regular voice trainer in the Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp held each year at Mendocino, California. Many of her students now use her vocal techniques in their practices and performances. She has held regular music workshops, including the Labyrinth School of Music (summer of 2006) in Hudetsi, Greece, the Irish World Academy Of Music and Dance, University of Limerick (spring of 2007), and University of Toronto (autumn of 2007).
Since the early 1980s, Mamak has been teaching mathematics and is currently a part-time faculty member in the math department of Santa Monica College. She has also worked with children with learning difficulties for over 12 years. These teaching experiences have given her the inspiration to come up with novel techniques to work with her voice students.
Film, Play and Television
Mamak has recorded with Hans Zimmer (on the feature soundtrack to the motion picture Peace Maker), Joel McNeally (on the soundtrack to Buffalo Soldier and Dark Angels TV series), Jeff Rona (on the score of Traffic and Profiler TV series), Marco Beltrami (on the feature soundtrack to the motion picture Dracula 2000), Chris Beck (on the score to Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series), Richard Gibbs (on the score of Battlestar Galactica TV series), and Jamshid Sharifi (on the feature soundtrack to the motion picture Persona Non Grata).
She sang for the music score of a theatrical production, Majles-e Shabih, composed by Iranian composer and ethnomusicologist Mohammad Reza Darvishi. The play was written and directed by renowned Iranian playwright and director Bahram Bayzai. It took the stage of Tehran's City Theater in the summer of 2005. Mamak also sang for the Libation Bearers, a play directed by Lee Breurer at Patras Festival in Greece (2006), The music of the Libation Bearers was composed by Eve Beglarian.
Feature Singer
Besides recording with film composers, Mamak has worked, performed and recorded with Turkish singer Omar Faruk Tekbilek (on the album Alif), Jamshid Sharifi (0n "A Prayer for the Soul of Layla"), and Tulku (on "Season of Souls" compiled in one of the Buddha Bar CD series).
