Monir Vakili

Biography

Monir was born to a family of art and music enthusiasts. Her father encouraged her interest in opera and supported her decision to study abroad. Monir studied voice and theater at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et De Danse de Paris and continued her training in opera directing at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Mass. Monir started the first opera company in Iran. She gave performances in roles including Madama Butterfly, Mimi in La Bohème, Violetta in La Traviata, and Liu in Turandot, at the Rudaki Hall. She intended to bring the level of artistry in Iran up to international standards. She produced and hosted a series in the National Iranian Television featuring selections from Rudaki Hall, and created an opera film festival and established the Academy of Voice, a government-funded, co-educational boarding school to educate and train students in the art of opera and choral singing. In 1951 Monir placed first at the Berlin Youth Festival (in the vocal category) and in 1975 she was the recipient of the Forough Farrokhzad Award. She recorded an album, "Chants et Danses de Perse" in Paris in 1958, of songs from different regions of Iran. It won the Grand Prix du Disque of the Académie Charles Cros. Monir died in 1983. Baazgasht ("Resurrection"), is a rendition of the album.

Monir attended the American School in Hamedan where she performed as soloist and member of the church choir.

Awards, honours and other details

Personal life

She toured and performed extensively in Russia, Tajikestan, Bulgaria, Romania, France, Germany, Italy and the United States. She was married to Dr. Abdol-Madjid Madjidi, 2 daughters: Scheherazade (a.k.a. ZaZa) and Djamileh. Vakili died in a car accident in Belgium on February 28, 1983 as her husband's car collided with a tank. They had been driving to an informal gathering with prominent diplomats.