The poet Rumi referred to “the place where everything is music.” Mamak Khadem, a classically trained Persian singer who has studied her art in both Iran and her adopted United States, helps keeps that place in Iranian culture alive, vital and growing.

As lead singer of the cross-cultural fusion ensemble Axiom Of Choice, as well as in her subsequent solo career, Mamak Khadem has performed at major concert venues, including the Skirball Cultural Center, the Greek Theater, the Smithsonian Museum and the House Of Culture (Berlin), as well as at many festivals, including Voices Of Women Festival (Greece) and the World Festival Of Sacred Music (Los Angeles). Not to mention her musical contributions to film and television scores, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Dracula 2000, and Traffic.

In her recent album Jostojoo (“Forever Seeking”), Mamak Khadem continues her exploration of Persian poetry set to carefully chosen melodies from her culture’s far-reaching folk and classical repertoire. The roots of her work are in the soil of tradition; its diverse melodic sources branch out across time periods to create a canopy of fresh interpretations.

“Khadem was extraordinary Wednesday, drawing her listeners in via the pure, emotionally communicative powers of her voice…. She is one of the wonders of world trance music.” — Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

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