We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Bahman Mehabadi a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Bahman , so excited to talk about all sorts of important topics with you today. The first one we want to jump into is about being the only one in the room – for some that’s being the only person of color or the only non-native English speaker or the only non-MBA, etc Can you talk to us about how you have managed to be successful even when you were the only one in the room that looked like you?
Every path that art and music has offered I’ve followed with enthusiasm, and every shelter they have presented I’ve embraced to soothe and have sought its peace. I’ve been passionate about art and music, when they are of the academic type. I have always been very strict. By nature, I always sought excellence and was inclined to constant improvement and wiping out every bit of darkness and corruption of the mind; and that was the blessing I was given. Andre Gide adresses Nathaniel in “Fruits of the Earth”,’Let the importance lie in your look, not in the thing you look at.’
In this way, everything is wrapped in a cover of love and beauty, and results in a great resilience. A voice always whispered in my head, encouraging me to avoid accepting the life as is understood by the crowds, and to persist in following my own path even if it makes me alone. To keep going, focusing on the destination, to choose the road upwards even if it is a byway, not to lose the sight of excellence even for a moment, to ignore a high seat if it turns your direction downward, and never to look for a reward. In this way virtue and passion unite and you are like flying lightly, even if you are suffering from loneliness.
I have let the passion lead me, and the path clean me of flaws and ignorance, making space for the sprouts of something fresh, a new morality, to keep growing.
There is a magnetism in this attitude which attracts people and nourishes self-confidence. It makes much of the difficulties easier. As I was holding on to my work, it was not the question of what I was doing or where I would stand. The question was how to tread the path more energetically, more quickly, and more passionately. Kind of a metamorphosis which brings a pleasant detaching with it. You forget others’ faults and you forgive yourself. I could forget those making trouble for me and keep moving forward. I had learned from my mother to be resilient in difficulties. And my father’s advice has always been with me who told me, ‘look ahead and keep your head up.’
When facing the mountains of obstacles, I kept my head up, looked at what was expecting me beyond them, and with the magnificent blessing of art I continued my journey and sought soothing in classical music. From early childhood throughout my whole life, I learned to take refuge in nature, reading, writing, listening to music, or simply floating in my thoughts for hours. In solitude I learned to care for my mental and physical health. Playing and writing music, as well as painting and making artworks relaxed me. Then I could smile and return among the people with a friendly manner.
There is a poem by a thirteenth-century Persian poet and thinker, Rumi, which says, ‘Every one became my friend from his own opinion; none sought out my secrets from within me.
My secret is not far from my plaint, but ear and eye lack the light.’
I’ve been a happy person, since I knew what I wanted; self-cultivation and creating what needed to be created. My mind has always been full of new ideas and I neglected with dignity the dark-minded who admired darkness. I felt sorry for them although they were wealthy. I remember the letter from Beethoven’s brother signed ‘From your brother Johann, landowner,’ and Beethoven responded to this letter with his own signing, ‘From your brother Ludwig, brain owner’. It’s a small world, we move in circles and will find what we think is far from us. While the haters admire darkness, I turn on a few lights, open a small window, and put a mirror against them to return light to my life. I practice avoiding the trouble-makers and malicious people as much as possible. Through this practice, you learn more and you find the intellectuals of philosophy, thought, good music and art gathering together and communicating. A small community, but insightful and accessible enough. I always recommend everyone not to forget peace of mind and physical health along the way. I try to align and have others align with this concern. I’m never afraid of getting advice from the experts. In this way, I strengthen my capabilities and cultivate my professional and decision-making skills. SOL Philharmonic is meant to be a place for exchanging ideas.
This is how it has been for me all through my life, and I still consider myself more as a learner than a teacher. When you yearn for learning, creativity stays alive. You nourish creativity with reading a good book, listening to good music, looking at the world’s most immortal pieces of art and thinking about them. Nothing can block passion; a true passion overcomes and removes the obstacles, resolves the hesitation at crossroads, and fills you with joy. A rich passion cultivates empathy and deep insight in you. And an enchanting music gives you wings to fly in the sky. One who has the capacity to tolerate the difficulties of practicing music is awarded with such celebration. We envy those who are not afraid of the difficulties, and are craving for listening to a piece by Vivaldi, Bach, and other masters of the immortal classical music. Bartok, Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Korsakov are the hosts of this great celebration of enlightenment; we are all invited.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I’ve founded SOL Music Center 40 years ago. Later it grew into different sections. The general idea was training young musicians, introducing world’s academic and classical music, and establishing SOL Philharmonic for playing a diversity of academic music pieces, performing concerts and recording them. A part of my teaching experience is now available in several books, written for students of violin, viola, and guitar; the most important of which is “The Complete Viola Technique Book; Technical Requirements Intro – 9”.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The most important quality I may name is to have a fresh mind for learning and developing them into skills. Then you should be resilient in difficulties, to keep your hard work and not to retreat or get scared when facing obstacles. The third necessary quality is to avoid getting arrogant when you achieve a milestone. It’s a long journey you are walking through; you should be patient, calm and humble until you find a light showing your way.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
From my early years of childhood, when I chose my field of education and path of life, I was alone. I started music education when I was ten. Others were causing trouble for me all the time and annoyed my soul by surrounding me with their ill thoughts. I felt lonely more and more. It was my inner self who differentiated the light from the darkness and fueled my will to follow the path towards my destination. The books were my friends who helped me stay loyal to my ideal dream and persist in striving for my goals. They opened a window to new worlds for me. I was lucky to have my parents supporting me. My father was an enlightened man who never hesitated in providing everything for me. And my mother was a strong woman who was by my side in every situation. Home was my safe haven for working and practicing, where I could strive hard for cultivating my talents. I also owe my success to my teacher who was a wise and big-hearted man, and supported me with his knowledge. In his classes I learned humanity, which I later passed to my students. Today I appreciate those who are good listeners and accept my professional advice. I enjoy communicating with people, especially now that I seek powerful solutions to unblock my path and assist me in my work. I dream of a day to see my books being published and my compositions being saved.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sol-philharmonic.com
- Instagram: sol.philharmonic
- Linkedin: Bahman Mehabadi
Image Credits
Bahman Mehabadi
