Interview with persian
guitarist lily afshar
Born in Tehran, Lily
Afshar belongs to a the talented breed of Iranian musicians
who is challenging her industry by staying on the edge.
Having studied at the Boston Conservatory
of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, and Florida
State University, Ms. Afshar
plays
the guitar with an unparalleled
passion. Her interest in contemporary
music has taken her to many concerts, won her rave reviews
and allowed for her to record several CD's. Here, Ms. Afshar
speaks to us about her life passions and how she managed
to get to where she is today.
 PersianMirror: Tell
us a little about yourself.
Lily
Afshar: I
was born in Tehran and went to school there until 1977
when I moved to the States. I was first
in Boston at Boston and New England Conservatories for my
Bachelor and Masters in Music, and then in Tallahassee at
Florida State University for my Doctorate in Music.
Currently,
I live in Memphis, Tennessee. The reason I moved here
was the great
job offer of teaching at the University of Memphis.
I am the Head of the Guitar Department. I was offered
this job the day after I received my Doctorate.
PM: How did you get started in music? LA: I
was born into a musical family. I heard the first classical
guitar when I was
10 and immediately fell in love with the sound. I was very
serious from the very beginning and had teachers and regular
weekly lessons.
PM: Who were some of the biggest influence
of your music, past or present?
LA: I
would say Arthur Rubenstein for Chopin, I was raised listening
to his performances of Chopin's Ballads, and as for guitar,
Andres Segovia, the famous Spanish guitarist and pedagogue
who I heard on records as a child in Iran. He became one
of my mentors early on. But the most important was my father
who introduced me to classical music and taught and encouraged
me from the beginning to pursue international status.
PM: What
would a big dream-come-true for you in this field?
LA: My
dream of becoming an international concert artist is already
coming true, but I would like to continue on that dream
and perform in the Far East which I have not been to yet.
Another dream would be to play more Concertos with orchestras.
My third dream would be to pursue my seh-tar studies and
become a great seh-tar player. I would also like to
carve a new place for Persian music in the classical
guitar repertoire, which I am doing in my upcoming CD,
with new music
by Reza Vali and Garry Eister.
PM: Is
the field of guitar playing more male dominated and if
so, have you come across any surprises?
LA: It
is more male dominated. I always felt that if I played
great, it would not matter whether I was a woman or a man,
I still believe this today. But I do see people separate
the genders. There are not many women guitarists playing
on an international level, maybe a handful, but they are
very good, nevertheless. It's funny, we don't seem to distinguish
between a female violinist and a male violinist, or a female
pianist and a male pianist. It is their playing that is
important. And that's how it should be with guitarists
too.
"I
heard the first classical guitar when I was 10
and immediately fell in love with the sound." -
Lily Afshar
PM: What are some of the upcoming projects or events that you
have planned in the near future?
LA: I
am performing my London debut at the Wigmore Hall, which
is synonymous to Carnegie Hall of New York. It is a gorgeous
hall with wonderful acoustics for guitar. This is a big
step in my career and will open many international doors
for me. I will premier two new works with Persian themes
in them and introduce my audience to Iranian music as played
on the guitar. I am also planning on returning to Iran
in August to teach master classes and perform concerts.
PM:
Desert Island. Three things. What will you take?
LA: What
do you take? My guitar, pen and large notebook to write
a book.
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