ABOUT

Mamak Khadem has walked many roads in her remarkable life, from her childhood and youth in Tehran at a critical time in Iranian history, and her longtime work as an educator, to her acclaimed career as a singer, composer, and devoted advocate for cultural diversity, appreciation of Persian cultural traditions, and human rights.

Called "one of the wonders of world trance music" by the Los Angeles Times, she has stunned audiences with her striking blend of classical Persian style with diverse contemporary influences, her exceptional vocal mastery, and her unforgettable voice. All are resplendent on her new album Remembrance --her debut on the Six Degrees Records label -- which also features guest appearances by singer and pianist Chris Martin (of Coldplay) and the venerable Rumi scholar and translator Coleman Barks.

She found her powerful voice early on, singing with the Children's Choir for National Radio and Television in Iran. But it wasn't until after the Iranian Revolution, before which she'd already emigrated to the U.S. as a teenager in 1977, that her passion for singing ignited and she began to pursue a musical path in earnest. Inspired by the work of Persian master musicians, she seized every opportunity to deepen and broaden her vocal art, regularly traveling back to Iran to study with some of the finest Persian vocalists. She also studied classical Indian singing tradition at the Ali Akbar Khan College of Music in northern California and explored Balkan vocal stylings during her tenure with the Los Angeles-based choir Nevenka.

Studying for her master's degree in applied mathematics at California State University/Long Beach, Khadem took on her first teaching job. She would go on to teach mathematics full-time for the next 18 years, working with students ranging in age from primary school to university, with particular emphasis on educating children with learning disabilities. She found that music helped her connect with her students, and she often attended their concert performances to forge stronger bonds with them.

While still teaching, she became a founding member of Axiom of Choice, a groundbreaking Iranian fusion band who opened the way for subsequent musicians working in the style; they recorded Beyond Denial (Faray-e Enkaar) (1996), Niya Yesh (2000), and Unfolding (Goshayesh) (2002).

During this time, Khadem found herself increasingly disillusioned with the education system, feeling there might be better ways to make a difference in kids' lives. In 2003, she closed the chapter of her mathematics teaching career -- and she has never looked back.

She released her first solo album Jostojoo: Forever Seeking in 2007, followed by A Window to Color (2011) and The Road (2015).  Following her passion for new influences, with The Road she explored stylistic traditions from Iran to Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Morocco, and Indonesia -- traversing broad cultural terrain and searching for common threads. Potent traditional melodies remained a strong framework as she incorporated such elements from her Iranian heritage as the verse of the great 13th century Persian poet Moulana Jalaledin Rumi.

With her new album Remembrance, Mamak again enlists the poetry of Rumi and others as she honors the memory and the beautiful soul of her late father. Due to travel restrictions in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, she was heartbreakingly unable to fly from Los Angeles to Tehran to be with him during his final days.  She says, "Remembrance is a musical journey to healing the huge loss of my beloved father, Mohsen Khadem. After his passing during the global pandemic of 2020, my grief could no longer be for him alone, but for all of those we lost."

Khadem has often been an outspoken activist for women's equality, children and education, immigrant justice, and gun control, and against political imprisonment and politically-motivated executions. Ever devoted to human connection, she opposes all forces that seek to divide peoples and cultures.

Co-produced by Mamak Khadem and Jamshied Sharifi, Mark Copely, and Chris Votek, Remembrance features subtle instrumental support from a host of musicians, as well as guest vocal appearances by singer-pianist Chris Martin (Coldplay), Rumi scholar and translator Coleman Barks, and a children's choir (including her students).

For three of the album's songs -- Across the Oceans, Entangled, and Don't Go Without Me -- Khadem enlisted the talented young Iranian director Sam Javadi to create extraordinary videos, which they filmed in southern Iran and northern California. Surreal, allegorical, disturbing, emotionally uplifting: the three short films are small masterpieces in their own right.

With this latest and most deeply personal musical offering, Mamak Khadem masterfully addresses themes of love, loss, and transcendence in songs that speak to the human heart with profound universality.

Remembrance was released by Six Degrees Records on 25 February 2022.

SOLO DISCOGRAPHY

  • Jostojoo: Forever Seeking (2007)

  • A Window to Color (2011)

  • The Road (2015)

  • Remembrance (2022)

PERFORMANCES

Mamak has appeared throughout the Middle East, the U.S. and Europe at such venues the Perth Concert Hall in Australia; the Greek Theater (Los Angeles); the Smithsonian Institution (Washington DC); the Museum of Folk Instruments (Greece); the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance (Dublin); House of Cultures (Berlin); California Plaza Grand Performances (Los Angeles); Skirball Cultural Center (Los Angeles); the World Festival of Sacred Music, (Los Angeles); Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Los Angeles), Voices of Women Festival (Greece), and Let Her Sing (San Francisco).

WORKSHOPS & CLASSES

Mamak teaches classical Persian music in Los Angeles as well as conducting workshops for non-musicians that incorporate singing, meditation and movement. Many of her students now use her vocal techniques in their practices and performances.

She has also taught at the Middle Eastern Music and Dance Camp in Mendocino, California; the Labyrinth School of Music in Hudetsi, Greece; the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance and the University of Limerick in Ireland, and the University of Toronto in Canada.

FILM, STAGE & TELEVISION

Mamak is featured on the soundtrack of the documentary Skateistan. She has recorded with Hans Zimmer (on the feature soundtrack to the motion picture Peace Maker), Joel McNeally (on the soundtracks for 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 for Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series), Richard Gibbs (on the score of Battlestar Galactica TV series), and Jamshied 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 the 2006 Patras Festival in Greece with music composed by Eve Beglarian.