Musician, professor to speak about Iranian culture
Speaker will explain and demonstrate classical Persian music
Lindsay Dunham
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: News
Hossein Omoumi's musical career started at age 14, when he began playing the ney, a traditional Iranian reed flute.
Omoumi now plays several instruments and is a professor of music at the University of California-Irvine. He has played at various music festivals and concert halls all over the United States and Europe.
Omoumi is the newest speaker in the "Cosmopolitan Iran: A Speaker and Film Series," sponsored by the Philosophy Department.
For philosophy professor Lucian Stone, the director of the series, inviting Omoumi to speak was an easy decision.
"He's an educator and more than that, he is a performer and a musician," Stone said. "This is an attempt to get to know the Iranian culture from one of the foremost teachers of Iranian music in the world."
Omoumi will give a lecture demonstration at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Morris University Center's Meridian Ballroom. Stone said Omoumi will explain the structures to classical Persian music and then demonstrate them.
Stone said this demonstration is a good way for people to become more educated about the Iranian culture.
"Art and music are some of the most powerful means of learning about and engaging with a new culture," Stone said. "Traditional Persian music often accompanies Persian poetry, and this is a gateway into appreciating Persian literature. If we listen to and learn the music, it might inspire us to read the poetry."
According to his Web site, www.omoumi.com, Omoumi has released 14 CDs and has played at San Francisco's World Music Festival, the World Music Institute and Asia Society in New York and Theatre de la Ville in Paris. Omoumi is also the founder of the Haft Dastgah Association, an organization dedicated to promoting and educating people of Persian music, according to Stone.
Stone said it is important for people to learn more about Iran.
"Given the way Iran has been portrayed in the media lately, I thought it would be a good time for our community to learn more about Iranian culture," Stone said. "The goal is that students know more about a culture that many don't know much about. I've tried to have speakers from different aspects of Iranian culture."
Junior nursing major Mary Moran said the speaker series is a good idea.
"That's what college is about, learning about different people and cultures," Moran said. "If you're open to learning about different cultures, why not go?"
Moran said the series will be good for people to participate in because Iran often gets bad publicity.
"I think with everything that's going on with the news, (Iranian people) are very stereotyped," Moran said.
The Cosmopolitan Iran Series is funded by the Excellence in Undergraduate Education grant from SIUE, the Philosophy Department and University Housing.
Stone said next semester University Housing will sponsor the showings of three Iranian films, which will be shown in Evergreen Hall. All Cosmopolitan Iran events are free and open to the public.
The next Cosmopolitan Iran event will be a screening of the Iranian film, "The Runner," on Feb. 3 in Evergreen Hall.
Omoumi now plays several instruments and is a professor of music at the University of California-Irvine. He has played at various music festivals and concert halls all over the United States and Europe.
Omoumi is the newest speaker in the "Cosmopolitan Iran: A Speaker and Film Series," sponsored by the Philosophy Department.
For philosophy professor Lucian Stone, the director of the series, inviting Omoumi to speak was an easy decision.
"He's an educator and more than that, he is a performer and a musician," Stone said. "This is an attempt to get to know the Iranian culture from one of the foremost teachers of Iranian music in the world."
Omoumi will give a lecture demonstration at 5 p.m. Wednesday in the Morris University Center's Meridian Ballroom. Stone said Omoumi will explain the structures to classical Persian music and then demonstrate them.
Stone said this demonstration is a good way for people to become more educated about the Iranian culture.
"Art and music are some of the most powerful means of learning about and engaging with a new culture," Stone said. "Traditional Persian music often accompanies Persian poetry, and this is a gateway into appreciating Persian literature. If we listen to and learn the music, it might inspire us to read the poetry."
According to his Web site, www.omoumi.com, Omoumi has released 14 CDs and has played at San Francisco's World Music Festival, the World Music Institute and Asia Society in New York and Theatre de la Ville in Paris. Omoumi is also the founder of the Haft Dastgah Association, an organization dedicated to promoting and educating people of Persian music, according to Stone.
Stone said it is important for people to learn more about Iran.
"Given the way Iran has been portrayed in the media lately, I thought it would be a good time for our community to learn more about Iranian culture," Stone said. "The goal is that students know more about a culture that many don't know much about. I've tried to have speakers from different aspects of Iranian culture."
Junior nursing major Mary Moran said the speaker series is a good idea.
"That's what college is about, learning about different people and cultures," Moran said. "If you're open to learning about different cultures, why not go?"
Moran said the series will be good for people to participate in because Iran often gets bad publicity.
"I think with everything that's going on with the news, (Iranian people) are very stereotyped," Moran said.
The Cosmopolitan Iran Series is funded by the Excellence in Undergraduate Education grant from SIUE, the Philosophy Department and University Housing.
Stone said next semester University Housing will sponsor the showings of three Iranian films, which will be shown in Evergreen Hall. All Cosmopolitan Iran events are free and open to the public.
The next Cosmopolitan Iran event will be a screening of the Iranian film, "The Runner," on Feb. 3 in Evergreen Hall.
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