MEME: Talking with Elham and Hannah

Elham

     As readers of this blog know, I am a proud member of the Middle Eastern Music Ensemble(MEME) of the University of Chicago. Under the engaging leadership of Maestro Wanees Zarour, we perform three concerts a year. The Turkish concert in the fall, the Persian Concert in winter, and the Arab Concert in the Spring. The orchestra is 30 – 40 members strong, depending on the concert, and I am not exaggerating when I say that each performance is better than the last. It is a real honor to play in this ensemble and everyone feels the same way.
     This is third time I am writing about my fellow musicians in this blog. This time, I have the honor of interviewing our superb cellist, Hannah Vis, and our amazing tar player, Elham Beheshti. 

What does this music mean to you?

Hannah: The first experience I had with Middle Eastern music was in 2011 when I joined MEME. What draws me most to the actual music is the beautifully rich culture and the way the music sounds. The more I learn though, the more I realize there is to learn (especially since I didn't grow up learning or listening to Middle Eastern music). Being in MEME, a musical group consisting of a mix of masters of the tradition, newcomers, and everyone in between, I have found there are a lot of people to learn from. 

Elham: As an immigrant, it is always really important to be connected with my background and homeland. I really want to be identified as an Iranian living in the US. The Persian Concert is so important for this. But beyond that, the music stirs my soul and moves my heart

What has being part of MEME meant to you?

Hannah

Hannah: MEME has meant community to me. MEME has never been a place to just rehearse, pack up, and leave. The members of the group are inviting, warm, and friendly. You really want to stick around and socialize. The director and the ensemble members cultivate this special environment. It is an honor to play with such a wonderful group of people. 

Elham: I have to agree totally with Hannah. I have made some wonderful, life-long friends, in this Ensemble. It is amazing that we have such a large ensemble of Middle Eastern and Western instruments that come together and create something so amazingly more than the small groups usually associated with Middle Eastern Music. MEME was a great blessing for me to play the tar seriously again.

What is your musical background? How you got into playing this music?

Elham: I started with music when I was ten. i went to a school of music for children in Tehran. We learned the basics of music playing recorders and other simple instruments. At the end of the year they were exposed to western and Iranian instruments. Long story short, I played violin six months but I was not feeling it. So, we went back to the music store and I bought a tar, the same one I am playing to this day.

I had three teachers in Tehran. The second teacher taught only listening by ear which is a very traditional approach. In high school, the famous tar player, Keivan Saket, became her teacher. He taught me notation and a more progressive style. I appreciate having learning both techniques and styles. I kept playing tar in high school and college. I also played tanbur and we had an ensemble, Saharvaran, and performed concerts from 2004 to 2006. 

Hannah: I grew up learning Western classical music on piano, voice, and cello. Music was always my favorite thing growing up and took precedence over sports or any other extracurricular activity. I learned about MEME in 2011 through an intro Middle Eastern music class that was once offered at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Wanees Zarour invited me to come join the ensemble. The rest is history! 

You have both played in the Turkish, Persian, and Arab concerts MEME. How do you differentiate between and relate to these three musical traditions?

Elham: I used to appreciate Arabic music before, but it has intensified having played three Arab Concerts with MEME. I really appreciate the musical selections in the Arab concert very much. I love to learn new things, so I was very excited to expand to both the Arabic and Turkish genres and I have really learned a lot. MEME gave me a wonderful opportunity to meet people from other cultures. It is a nice ensemble of people who really love Middle Eastern Music. We have students and people from all different walks of life and that is really beautiful. 

Hannah: I'm still learning about all three traditions and have enjoyed various characteristics of each. I have enjoyed learning about similar and different scales and the various intonations (e.g., quarter tones). The language, vocal technique, and ornamentations make each tradition sound unique. One thing I have really enjoyed about all three traditions is playing in different time signatures and rhythms than I grew up learning: 10/8, 9/8, and 7/8 to name a few.

What is your day job? Hobbies?

Hannah: When I'm not at MEME, I work in elementary schools as a Bilingual Speech-Language Pathologist. Other than MEME and the cello, I enjoy singing, learning about language(s), and cooking. 

Elham: I love to learn new things. My main hobby besides music is pottery. My PhD is in Computer Science. My research and passion is designing educational technology. In fact, I am leaving Chicago and MEME at the end of March to become a researcher in the New York Hall Science in Queens. I am excited about the opportunity but sad to leave MEME.

     The 2019 Persian Concert is Saturday, March 2nd at 7 pm and Sunday, March 3rd at 4pm in the Concert Hall of the Reva and David Logan Center for the Performing Arts. Come and see these talented ladies perform and wish Elham all the best as she moves to New York.