The Legacy of the Shiraz Art Festival: A panel discussion
Panel
Josh Charney
See Bio
Josh Charney is a musicologist, pianist, and composer based in northern California. He received his PhD in music from UC San Diego with a dual degree in composition and musicology. His dissertation was on the Shiraz Arts Festival, an annual international festival held in Iran between 1967 and 1977. This research details the festival and its performances as cultural models for democracy and identity in pre-Revolutionary Iran. A portion of this is published in the collection Performing Iran: Culture, Performance, Theatre (2021). Currently he is the Music Program Coordinator at Nueva School, a K-12 independent school in the Bay Area. He also directs their Menuhin Program, which is a specialized lesson program for advanced music students.
Program
Moderator: Dr. Shahab Paranj
Panelists:
Dr. Vali Mahlouji
Dr. Josh Charney
The Shiraz Festival of Arts was an annual international summer arts festival held in Iran, serving as a platform for the encounter between Eastern and Western cultures. It took place from 1967 to 1977 in the city of Shiraz and Persepolis, central Iran, initiated by Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi. Despite its significance, there has been limited discourse on the impact of this music festival on Iranian music during that period and its enduring effects. In this panel discussion, our guest speakers will share their insights gained from researching this festival, shedding light on its historical importance and musical influence nearly 45 years later.
