KHORASAN, Iran—Yalda Abbasi, a musician from Iranian Kurdistan, has been playing music since she was 12.
Abbasi told Rudaw that she wants to adapt a new style of Kurmanji folk music. “My main goal is for Kurmanji folk music to be revived in this region,” she said.
The Khorasan region is located in northeastern Iran. Home to approximately 2 million Kurds, the region is geographically far from other parts of Kurdistan. The majority of the Kurds who live here speak the Kurmanji dialect.
Iranian authorities do not allow the expression of the Kurdish culture in this area. However, the Kurds in the region have found various ways to protect their Kurdish identity, including music.
Abbasi released her first album in Kurmanji and said she plans to release two more albums in the dialect in the near future.
“The style of Kurdish music has been passed down to us from our ancestors and we will pass it onto the next generation,” she said, adding that Kurdish music has progressed considerably in the region in recent years.
Kurdish singers have long depended on classic poems for their songs, but Abassi noted that recently great poets like Hassan Roshan, Ismail Hassan Pur and Ali Raza have emerged in the region, allowing singers to use fresh poetry on their albums.
He said, “My mother inspired me to follow the path of my ancestors in singing. She has greatly assisted my musical career.”
Though she dreams of studying music academically, and thinks it’s essential to the evolution of Kurdish music, Abbasi ended up studying science and technology.
She has participated in several musical festivals in Iran and been chosen as the best tembur player on several occasions.
Abbasi was also part of a 2008 Iranian documentary which received multiple awards internationally and locally.
If invited to the Kurdistan Region, Abbasi said she and his group “Koma Kovat” would gladly travel to give performances.
http://www.rudaw.net/english/news/iran/5118.html
