MONIKA JALILI Lights the WAY

Born in New York City, Monika Jalili is a fresh addition to the world music scene. Having married an Iranian, this New Yorker was immersed in Persian music, and eventually decided to take her passion seriously. With her debut CD entitled "Noor Saaz", Monika and her music group have managed to capture the minds of young and old and to bridge the gaps of culture, language and sound for so many music lovers. An amazingly well-recorded and beautifully sung set of songs, especially for someone whose first language is not Persian, "Noor Saaz" is sure to please everyone in the family.

A classically trained vocalist, with a degree in Vocal Performance from The Manhattan School of Music and another in French Literature from Columbia, Monika has been performing since the age of 12. Her opera-like soprano voice really takes on the likes of Mahasti and Haydeh to great new heights.

We congratulate Monika and her ensemble on this great achievement and thank her for taking the time to do this interview:

PersianMirror: Tell us a little about your background, and where you grew up?

Monika Jalili: My parents are Dutch and German. My mom and grandma both live in New York. My father lives in Amsterdam. I have one brother, who lives in Salt Lake City. I attended New York City public schools, including LaGuardia High School of the Arts. I wanted to pursue music after high school, but my parents wanted me to have a college education to fall back on if the music didn't pan out. So, after high school, I went to Barnard College, Columbia University where I majored in French Literature. Languages were always my next love after music. When I graduated, I was ready to teach French, and I did part-time. But, music was really my passion and my calling, and I knew I needed some serious study, so I continued with school and went to The Manhattan School of Music and received a degree in Voice.

PM: Can you tell us a little about how you got started to sing and perform?

MJ: I've been singing for as long as I can remember. I always did the school and summer camp musicals. My mom claims I sang the ABC song in my crib when I was only 17 months. Unfortunately, I can't verify that. When I was 12 years old, I began recording jingles for radio and TV, did some commercials and short films. It was at LaGuardia High School of the Arts where my music studies became serious. The school gave me so many wonderful performing opportunities both in school and out of school.

PM: Your new album is one that is so special and unique because it mixes the old and the new so well. How did you come up with the idea for this and who helped you put it together?

MJ: I was introduced to Persian music only a few years ago. I had been invited to sing at a Norooz concert, and the musician who invited me, offered to teach me folk songs from different regions of Iran. I was really excited. It was very challenging, particularly not knowing the language. The songs were in various dialects. I found the songs to be really beautiful, but I did not have the confidence to continue working on them after the concert.

A few months later, my husband, Reza, persuaded me to pick them up and try them again. And, so I did. The second time around proved to be much better. I began to spend a lot of time with the songs and even went into a recording studio to put them on tracks for myself to hear. I began working with a good friend of Reza's, who is a very talented tar player, and we continued working on some of the folk songs and then began to add others, including love songs from the 1960s and 70s. I'm very grateful to this gentleman, Homayoon, for his assistance and guidance.

We began performing together in New York as a duo. I spent hours and hours on the phone with my mother-in-law, Shahin, working on translations, pronunciation and practicing the rhythm of the language. I am so grateful to her and to my father-in-law, Massoud. I'll never forget, while visiting him in Brussels a couple of years ago, we were in his car, and he played an old cassette he had. I heard a beautiful song, sung by a man with a sweet voice. It was Mohammad Nouri singing “Jaane Maryam.” I knew right then and there that I would be singing that song. I realized it was time to start studying Persian, and I did. I'm still working on it.

A year ago, I formed my ensemble, NoorSaaz. The focus of this ensemble was, and still is, to perform the music of Iran. My first project was to record a CD with them. We began working steadily on the songs. It took time, as we had to transcribe them on to paper, and come up with interesting and innovative arrangements. We met a few times a week. At the beginning of February of this year, we went into the studio to record the first 5 songs. A couple months later, we did the final 5 songs. The whole project was a joint work by myself, my ensemble, with the assistance and guidance of my producer, Jamshied Sharifi, my husband's parents, and my husband Reza. The CD was ready for release in August, 2005.

PM: So many great songs. Which one is your favorite song on the CD?

MJ: I would have to say "Soltan-e Ghalbha".

PM: Why did you translate the words into English and French in particular?

MJ: One of my goals with NoorSaaz is to expose a wide audience to the beauty of Iranian music. I may add German or Italian in the future. To start, I went with English and French. The first song I worked on was Soltan-e Ghalbha. I was home one afternoon listening to “Soltan-e Ghalbha” and in a burst of inspiration I translated the song into English. I kept the rhyme scheme and stayed true to the meaning. That was a decisive moment for me. That translation gave me the confidence to try a few more songs.

French is my second language. I always loved singing in French. It turned out that some of the Iranian music really lent itself to French lyrics. I actually had not planned on French, but while in rehearsal with the band one day, we were rehearsing “Gole Gandom,” and were trying out different arrangements, it was my violinist, Megan Weeder, who somehow heard French accompanying the music.

PM: Who are you hoping will listen to this CD?

MJ: I'm hoping people from all backgrounds, and all corners of the globe will listen and find the beauty in this Iranian music, as I have.

PM: Who were some of the biggest influence of your music and shows, past or present?

MJ: Beverley Peck Johnson – voice teacher who truly taught me how to sing

Mohammad Nouri – an Iranian singer/composer/lyricist

Tierney Sutton – jazz singer and artist

Steven Sondheim and Leonard Bernstein – composers/lyricists

PM: Who is your favorite singer or actor of all times?

MJ: Audrey Hepburn – a performer with such grace, sincerity and integrity

PM: How do you think your work fits in with the traditional Iranian music? Is it comparable and how?

MJ: Well, as you know, my music is not traditional, or maybe I should say “classical.” We do use traditional and non-traditional instruments, with modern and sometimes “funky” arrangements, and we have stayed true to the words and melodies. If there were an opportunity to perform on the same stage, and the same night as a traditional Persian classical concert, I believe that my music would fit.

PM: What are some of the upcoming projects or events that you have planned in the near future?

MJ: We have an upcoming concert on December 10th at the Trinity Cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey. Then, on December 18th , we have a concert in Westchester at the Greenburgh Public Library. We have more concerts lined up for 2006, and are planning regional US tours and a European tour. You can check my website, www.NoorSaaz.com, for performance updates.

PM:  Dessert Island. Three things. What will you take?

Music, chocolate, and a boat