NAZANIN AGHAKHANI
Discipline is a virtue to have and to hold. All the sacrifices, dedication, hard work are well worth it when "Listening to the outcome— and, of course, receiving response…each CD, concert, performance, project etc, is like giving birth…you feel you added something to the greater good.”
Piano lessons at seven, finding her calling, telling her family and the world her decision to become a conductor, at eight, is not the most usual childhood path for many, but it is that of Nazanin Aghakhani. Behind most stories of talented kids it is easy to detect overzealous parents who throw themselves wholeheartedly to see their dreams materialize with their kids. For Nazanin Aghakhani, the beautiful Austrian conductor and pianist, born of Iranian parents in Vienna, these roles were a tad different. She exhibited her talent early on and then coaxed her parents and sisters to believe in her decision for a life-long dedication to music as a pianist, but most of all as a conductor. For loving parents and protective siblings giving unconditional support isn't hard to do, but supporting a little girl whose dream is to stand on a podium with the baton in hand isn't the easiest "yes". For Nazanin's family, there may have been whispers of doubt behind closed doors and away from their little girl's curious eye. But what we know for sure is that both her parents and sisters have always been and still are among her most dedicated supporters. Right up there with them is her husband and so are her two young children. So, if it doesn't take a village to raise a conductor, it certainly takes a solid group of people to stand right by a young heart/mind/face chasing one of the most impractical dreams of all: becoming a conductor, a fearless and successful conductor.
For Aghakhani, being a conductor means hours of study, extensive research, but also understanding and truly knowing your orchestra and audience. At the same time, conducting gigs require and are supported by other assignments such teaching engagements, interviews, film or TV projects. In fact, Nazanin Aghakhani was featured with Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna on Women´s Day 2015 broadcast on Austrian National TV.
Nazanin Aghakhani most recently conducted Rautavaara´s Concerto for Double Bass with soloist Viivi Valtonen and the FIAM orchestra (“created by two other women conductors,” she notes,) in Helsinki, Finland. This demanding concerto written in 1980 requires full concentration. Easier said than done especially when preparing simultaneously for the premiere of Trumpet Concerto by B. Stearn. The premiere is scheduled to take place in Helsingborg, Sweden with soloist Filip Draglund and Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. To complete a full plate of delights, the program also features Haydn's Trumpet Concerto and great Brahms repertoire pieces such as Tragic Overture and Variation on a Theme of Haydn. Multitasking, time and space travel, and doing it all with a smile and good spirits are part of the magic tricks in the conductor’s bag of hidden treasures.
No wonder why Nazanin Aghakhani is praised for conducting successful concerts throughout many music-loving cities of Europe. Her talent and natural abilities to connect with and lead orchestras is easy to notice. Another noteworthy accomplishment is Nazanin Aghkhani being the first woman to ever conduct in Tehran in 2010. Despite imaginable challenges to such a performance, she did not back up even while very pregnant with her first child. Yes, she says through her work, it is possible to raise two children and create amazing musical experiences, to widen horizons with and for a variety of musicians and audiences.
For Aghakhani, being a conductor means hours of study, extensive research, but also understanding and truly knowing your orchestra and audience. At the same time, conducting gigs require and are supported by other assignments such teaching engagements, interviews, film or TV projects. In fact, Nazanin Aghakhani was featured with Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna on Women´s Day 2015 broadcast on Austrian National TV.
Nazanin Aghakhani most recently conducted Rautavaara´s Concerto for Double Bass with soloist Viivi Valtonen and the FIAM orchestra (“created by two other women conductors,” she notes,) in Helsinki, Finland. This demanding concerto written in 1980 requires full concentration. Easier said than done especially when preparing simultaneously for the premiere of Trumpet Concerto by B. Stearn. The premiere is scheduled to take place in Helsingborg, Sweden with soloist Filip Draglund and Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra. To complete a full plate of delights, the program also features Haydn's Trumpet Concerto and great Brahms repertoire pieces such as Tragic Overture and Variation on a Theme of Haydn. Multitasking, time and space travel, and doing it all with a smile and good spirits are part of the magic tricks in the conductor’s bag of hidden treasures.
No wonder why Nazanin Aghakhani is praised for conducting successful concerts throughout many music-loving cities of Europe. Her talent and natural abilities to connect with and lead orchestras is easy to notice. Another noteworthy accomplishment is Nazanin Aghkhani being the first woman to ever conduct in Tehran in 2010. Despite imaginable challenges to such a performance, she did not back up even while very pregnant with her first child. Yes, she says through her work, it is possible to raise two children and create amazing musical experiences, to widen horizons with and for a variety of musicians and audiences.
