Western classical and Persian heritages combine at Festival of Chichester

Up-and-coming pianist Mahya Mahmooni bridges the rich traditions of Western classical music and her native Persian heritage in a special concert for the Festival of Chichester.

Works by Bach, Beethoven and Chopin set the stage for a second-half showcase of contemporary Iranian compositions demonstrating how Persian scales and rhythms can merge with Western forms.

The concert, entitled East In The West: From Classical Roots To Persian Resonance, will be on Monday, June 16 at 7pm in the Chapel of the Ascension, University of Chichester, Chichester, PO19 6PE. Tickets £15.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Mahya will have been in the UK for two years this September: “I have just graduated. I did my masters in music performance in Chichester and I am currently teaching for West Sussex Music and also doing some private teaching. I'm also teaching at the Chichester Music Academy.

“I am Iranian and I did my bachelors back in Tehran. I was doing my masters in Tehran but I always had this dream that I wanted to go to Europe. In terms of classical music it is always better to be where you can access the good halls and pianos and the good teachers and where you can share your experiences with other people. In Iran it is not a really good political situation, and the relationship with Europe is not so good because of the sanctions. It's hard to get to Europe for performances but I thought that if I continued my studies in Europe then I'd have a chance to share my ideas.

“It has been really good here. People have been really nice to me and the facilities are great. I've been looking how I can build up my network with other people, but everyone has been really supportive and really kind. When I came to Chichester, first of all I thought it's a place not like London where there are a lot more international people. Chichester is much more based on British people and I wondered whether I would be accepted but I've had a really good experience. But actually it works both ways. If I can express myself as someone who is strong and is really committed to learning from this society and from the university, then people are more welcoming. I am trying to establish myself as a committed artist so that people will accept me.”

As for the concert: “During my studies here we had a piano group every Tuesday run by Terry Albright who is one of the piano teachers here. He would gather us together every week and we would play anything that we wanted to play. But he was always open to new ideas. He is a composer himself and he suggested to me that I share something from my own story. I would never imagine that people would like to hear Persian music over here. In Iran, Persian music is such a big part of our culture that you hear it all the time but I played some and people enjoyed it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“At the same time when I was in Iran doing my undergraduate studies I collaborated with composers to premiere their work. These collaborations have continued and for this concert a composer is giving me the chance to premiere a new piece of work.”

The 2025 Festival of Chichester is delighted to welcome Edward Cooke Family Law as its principal sponsor. The Festival is generously supported by Chichester City Council, firm friends to the Festival since its inception.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice