Mamak Khadem is the vocalist of the ensemble. Trained in the classical Persian style, by nature poignant, she weaves emotive textures ranging from bliss to pain, which give a mystical and nostalgic bent to the music. “When I think of my childhood, my memories are inseparable from the melodies that touched my soul when I was growing up. It was...
more »Mamak Khadem is the vocalist of the ensemble. Trained in the classical Persian style, by nature poignant, she weaves emotive textures ranging from bliss to pain, which give a mystical and nostalgic bent to the music. “When I think of my childhood, my memories are inseparable from the melodies that touched my soul when I was growing up. It was through establishing this personal relationship with music as well as my training at the Children Choir for National Radio and Television of Iran that my musical education began. But it was not until the late seventies and after the revolution that I truly became inspired to learn Persian traditional vocals.” Thus Mamak Khadem sums up her musical background. Like many other immigrants, Mamak discovered her cultural heritage after years of living abroad. The revolution in Iran and subsequently the immense amount of work produced in the early eighties by master musicians of that time became her source of inspiration. Since then, she has seized every opportunity to further her vocal art, regularly traveling back to Iran to study with some of the finest Persian vocalists and masters. In 1992, Mamak joined Axiom of Choice, which allowed her to experiment and define her own style. She has expanded her vocal art also by learning other methods of singing (such as classical Indian, and Bulgarian). Mamak believes that the path of learning is endless. However, one thing clear to her is that Persian vocal art can be successfully used outside of its traditional context.
“I love teaching children and singing”, says Mamak. These are the two main goals in her life and she has been fortunate enough to fulfill both by teaching mathematics and world culture classes to high school students. She has worked and recorded, among others, with Hans Zimmer (on the score of Peace Maker), Jamshied Sharifi, Tulku, Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Joel Mc Neally (on the soundtrack of the movie “Buffalo Soldier” and “Dark Angels” TV series), Jeff Rona, composer of the “Chicago Blues” TV series score, and Chris Beck, the composer of “Buffy, the Vampire Slayer” TV score.
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