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Event
King Raam's "Departure" [A Work in Progress]
This performance is presented by the Safe Haven Incubator for Musicians NYC (SHIM NYC), a new residency program launched by Tamizdat and Artistic Freedom Initiative.
King Raam began his musical career as the singer/songwriter/founder of Hypernova, a post-punk band born in the Tehran underground of the early 2000's. A politically active singer, he joined protests and wrote songs that spoke out against the government.
In 2011, King Raam launched his solo career as King Raam in Toronto with Songs of the Wolves, a personal and sincere album of love and loss. With the help of Persian poet/author/filmmaker Tara Aghdashloo, who wrote lyrics for the album, Raam expanded his musical horizons singing in his native Persian language for the first time in his career. This was followed by The Vulture (2013), A Day & A Year, and Until a Thousand and... (2017) which was his last album based out of Tehran.
In January 2018, King Raam's father, Kavous Seyed Emami, a prominent Iranian/Canadian professor and environmentalist, was arrested on false charges of espionage. Two weeks after his arrest, he was killed under suspicious circumstances in Tehran's Evin Prison. King Raam and his family attempted to flee Iran, but Iranian authorities detained his mother and confiscated her passport. King Raam and his brother were allowed to depart, but his mother was held hostage in Iran for over 500 days.
In his new work in progress, "Departure," King Raam is channeling his creative energy into a storytelling performance about his family's experience and his father's legacy, woven together with his music. "Departure," is being developed during his residency in the Safe Haven Incubator for Musicians NYC (SHIM NYC), a new residency program for at-risk musicians created by Artistic Freedom Initiative and Tamizdat.
King Raam has been featured in the New York Times, MTV, NPR, Vanity Fair, CNN, PBS, BBC, and VICE.
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About SHIM NYC:
The Safe Haven Incubator for Musicians NYC (SHIM NYC) is a three month professional development and mentorship residency for at risk musicians. SHIM NYC was created and launched by Tamizdat and Artistic Freedom Initiative, and is being piloted as part of the New York City Artist Safe Haven Residency Program.
About Artistic Freedom Initiative:
Led by immigration and human rights attorneys, nonprofit organization Artistic Freedom Initiative (AFI) facilitates pro bono immigration representation and resettlement assistance for international artists who have experienced persecution, censorship, forced displacement, or other restrictions on their freedom of artistic expression. Further, AFI partners with arts and culture institutions, museums, galleries, and performance spaces to create opportunities for artists in our network to showcase their work.
About Tamizdat:
Tamizdat is a nonprofit organization that facilitates and advocates for international artist mobility and cultural exchange. Driven by the conviction that the international mobility and exchange of culture is fundamental to a healthy and progressive civil society, Tamizdat seeks through its program activities to assist the international performing arts community to address problems presented by international borders, and U.S. visa policies and procedures.
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LocationBrooklyn Music School (View)
126 Saint Felix
Brooklyn, NY 11017
United States
Categories
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
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