Music for You.
Unified
Harmony
Blends two unique clutures into one breathtaking adventure. Mahour Mellat Parast, an Iranian Tar Virtuoso and Ken Hoppmann, American Concert Pianist unite Persian and Western Classical music into one of the most exciting and thought-provoking concerts you have ever experienced.
See video of Unified Harmony performing.
Mahour and Ken were recently the subjects of an hour-long documentary film entitled "New Americans Folk and Traditional Arts Project". This film series was produced by the Lincoln Arts Council to celebrate the diversity of art expressions in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their documentary has been broadcast over public television consistently since September 2006.
"Dr. Ken Hoppmann and Dr. Mahour Mellat-Parast had a unique performance on the tar and piano at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As one of the organizers of the program, I was extremely fascinated by their performance/lecture/recital. Their novel work for bringing the two
musical
traditions together was educational, informative
and artistic. They exhibit a work of high caliber.
We benefited from their lecture; we enjoyed their
music; and we felt like we were traveling all
around the world, from East to West. It is a
perfect performance for any university, educational
center or multi-cultural
institution."
—Eli Fini, President
Family Housing Council
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
"I met Dr. Ken Hoppmann several years ago in Nebraska. Recently Ken visited Anchorage, Alaska and introduced me to his friend, Mahour Mellat Parast, an Iranian tar player. I heard them perform a fascinating fusion of traditional Iranian music accompanied by the traditional Western piano. The combination was wonderful and eclectic. Music is truly an international language that can bridge all peoples of the world and bring better understanding and tolerance. I sincerely hope this project is very successful in its important mission."
—Juliana Osinchuk, DMA – The Juilliard School
Director of Chamber Music and the Young Alaskan Artist Award ProgramsAnchorage Festival of Music
"Creative, exotic, accessible, musical, thought provoking – these are just a few of the attributes of the program that Dr. Mahour Mellat Parast and Dr. Kenneth Hoppmann presented for the students at St. John Lutheran School in Seward. Although the audience encompassed children from Kindergarten through eighth grade they all seemed mesmerized by the exotic look and sound of Mahour’s târ and the innovative accompaniments provided by Ken’s piano. Questions by the students following the performance were thoughtfully asked and respectfully answered. What a wonderful way to introduce students to the interesting and ancient music of the Middle East (Persia) – especially at this time in our country’s history. I highly recommend this presentation for any school."
—William Kuhn, Ed.D., Chair
Department of Music
Concordia University, Nebraska
“Ken and Mahour speak the universal language of music. By fusing these very different forms of music, from divergent and sometimes conflicting cultures, they show that human beings are connected on a basic level. Their musical partnership says to the audience, ‘see how similar we humans are, we developed music in separate cultures, in different centuries, using musical scales not shared between the West and the East, yet we found common melodies and common emotions.’
The audience at the Dahl Arts Center and the staff loved the music produced by Ken and Mahour. Bringing new ideas together is a fundamental part of the arts. We were proud to present this concert. The musicianship and performance of each artist was exceptional.”
—Darla Drew Lerdal, Development and Program Director,
Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City, SD
“Mahour Parast, a master tarist, is simply a superb musician. When Mahour plays his tar, it becomes part of his soul and feelings, not just a musical instrument. As President of the Pan-Pacific Business Association, I had the pleasure of inviting Mahour and pianist Ken Hoppmann to perform for our members at our annual conference. Their performance produced such unusual harmony that everyone was absolutely mesmerized. I would recommend their performance to anyone who has not had the chance to listen to tar played by a magician.”
—Dr. Sang M. Lee, Eminent Scholar and Department Chair,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Management Department, Lincoln, Nebraska
Blends two unique clutures into one breathtaking adventure. Mahour Mellat Parast, an Iranian Tar Virtuoso and Ken Hoppmann, American Concert Pianist unite Persian and Western Classical music into one of the most exciting and thought-provoking concerts you have ever experienced.
See video of Unified Harmony performing.
Mahour and Ken were recently the subjects of an hour-long documentary film entitled "New Americans Folk and Traditional Arts Project". This film series was produced by the Lincoln Arts Council to celebrate the diversity of art expressions in Lincoln, Nebraska. Their documentary has been broadcast over public television consistently since September 2006.
"Dr. Ken Hoppmann and Dr. Mahour Mellat-Parast had a unique performance on the tar and piano at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. As one of the organizers of the program, I was extremely fascinated by their performance/lecture/recital. Their novel work for bringing the two
—Eli Fini, President
Family Housing Council
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
"I met Dr. Ken Hoppmann several years ago in Nebraska. Recently Ken visited Anchorage, Alaska and introduced me to his friend, Mahour Mellat Parast, an Iranian tar player. I heard them perform a fascinating fusion of traditional Iranian music accompanied by the traditional Western piano. The combination was wonderful and eclectic. Music is truly an international language that can bridge all peoples of the world and bring better understanding and tolerance. I sincerely hope this project is very successful in its important mission."
—Juliana Osinchuk, DMA – The Juilliard School
Director of Chamber Music and the Young Alaskan Artist Award ProgramsAnchorage Festival of Music
"Creative, exotic, accessible, musical, thought provoking – these are just a few of the attributes of the program that Dr. Mahour Mellat Parast and Dr. Kenneth Hoppmann presented for the students at St. John Lutheran School in Seward. Although the audience encompassed children from Kindergarten through eighth grade they all seemed mesmerized by the exotic look and sound of Mahour’s târ and the innovative accompaniments provided by Ken’s piano. Questions by the students following the performance were thoughtfully asked and respectfully answered. What a wonderful way to introduce students to the interesting and ancient music of the Middle East (Persia) – especially at this time in our country’s history. I highly recommend this presentation for any school."
—William Kuhn, Ed.D., Chair
Department of Music
Concordia University, Nebraska
“Ken and Mahour speak the universal language of music. By fusing these very different forms of music, from divergent and sometimes conflicting cultures, they show that human beings are connected on a basic level. Their musical partnership says to the audience, ‘see how similar we humans are, we developed music in separate cultures, in different centuries, using musical scales not shared between the West and the East, yet we found common melodies and common emotions.’
The audience at the Dahl Arts Center and the staff loved the music produced by Ken and Mahour. Bringing new ideas together is a fundamental part of the arts. We were proud to present this concert. The musicianship and performance of each artist was exceptional.”
—Darla Drew Lerdal, Development and Program Director,
Dahl Arts Center, Rapid City, SD
“Mahour Parast, a master tarist, is simply a superb musician. When Mahour plays his tar, it becomes part of his soul and feelings, not just a musical instrument. As President of the Pan-Pacific Business Association, I had the pleasure of inviting Mahour and pianist Ken Hoppmann to perform for our members at our annual conference. Their performance produced such unusual harmony that everyone was absolutely mesmerized. I would recommend their performance to anyone who has not had the chance to listen to tar played by a magician.”
—Dr. Sang M. Lee, Eminent Scholar and Department Chair,
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Management Department, Lincoln, Nebraska