OPENING RECEPTION FEBRUARY 19TH AT 2:30 PM SPECIAL APPEARANCE
Saturday, February 19, 2022, at 2:30 pm
El NIDO ART SPACE presented by VC Projects
Standing room only, limited space, necessary RSVP to enter
Saturday, February 19th, join us during the opening reception of Natasha Rudenko: Be/longing, conceptual photographs at El Nido. This reception will include an excerpt from the Women / Immigration / Fight or Flight opera performed by soprano composer Shooka Afshar.
Women / Immigration / Fight or Flight, is a mini-opera composed by Shooka Afshar that depicts the challenges faced by women who had to immigrate to another country to follow their dreams, have a normal life, and fight for their basic rights. Inspired by the true story of Shooka Afshar, who immigrated to Boston from Iran to pursue her dream of being an opera singer.
Women / Immigration / Fight or Flight is a mixed media opera based on Shooka Afshar’s true-life story, composed by Shooka Afshar. This opera depicts the challenges of women who had to immigrate to another country to follow their dreams, to be able to have a normal life and to fight for their basic rights. This opera tells the story of Shooka Afshar's life who changed her circumstances from being ridiculed for wanting to be a singer, to a women who is now praised for her art and knowledge in the US. This opera has a universal message to all the women of the world who have been working hard to improve their lives and reach their dreams, in the midst of the most suppressed societies and lack of resources. Shooka Afshar’s first bachelor’s degree was in Physics, due to not being able to study arts and music academically. Moreover, to this day, women are not allowed to sing in public in front of men in Iran. In this mixed media opera, Shooka is sharing the strength of a woman who’s been receiving the message of “women shouldn’t be loud and laugh loud”, “women are not allowed to sing” and “womanhood is a shame”, and yet she decided not to be a victim of her circumstances. “I hope this opera inspires all the women who self-doubt and second guess themselves and reminds them of the power of choice”, Shooka Afshar.
BIOGRAPHY
Shooka Afshar, Soprano, City of Boston Certified Artist, born in Tehran, Iran, finished her undergraduate studies in classical vocal performance at Longy School of Music of Bard College in 2012. She received her Master’s Degree in Music in classical vocal performance and her Teaching Artist certificate on May 2014 from Longy. Shooka is a Boston-based active recitalist in Iranian and classical repertoire. She has appeared in Opera scenes such as “Donna Elvira” in Don Giovanni and “Electra” in Idomeneo with the coaching of Daniel Wyneken and Janice Giampa at New England Conservatory. In addition, she has appeared as “The First Lady” in The Magic Flute, “Mrs. Mc. Lean” in Susannah and “Edith” in Pirates of Penzance under the coaching of Vanessa Schukis at Longy School of Music. She made her operatic debut as the “Princess”; from Dvorak’s opera The Cunning Peasant in its US premiere on Feb 2014 produced by the Calliope Ensemble at the First Unitarian Church of Boston.
Shooka has always appreciated the relation between music and visual arts, especially animation, knowing that she has always had a great animation-like imagination since childhood. In 2016 she started a new music entrepreneurship journey into the Performance Art starting with her own composition/improvisation at the MMAC Theater, Lincoln Center, NY. Since then Shooka has been an active composer in addition to her ongoing singing career. She premiered her first album “Childhood” at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in March 2017, and her second album “Nowrooz Stayed Untouched” at the MFA in March 2019. “Nowrooz Stayed Untouched” is a mixed media performance, where music is followed by a narrative animation and modern dance, as what always Shooka has intended to do; engaging different senses of the audience at her performances. Her recent mixed-media composition is an opera on women’s rights, inspired by her life story of how she became a classical singe; Women /Immigration / Fight or Flight.
Some of her recent appearances/original compositions include The Coded Birth at the Institute of Contemporary Arts Boston, Turn Me Into A Mannequin at the NYU, Nowrooz Stayed Untouched, and her opera on women’s rights; Women / Immigration / Fight or Flight at Museum of Fine Arts Boston (Online due to the pandemic).
Shooka is currently planning nationwide and international tours for her mixed media opera.
Shooka has been a student of Mary McKlimeck, and follows Mary’s techniques in her singing style (Estill Voice Trainings). She has also been trained under the vocal pedagogy and voice therapies of Hadas Golan at the Boston Medical Center, and she follows the Buteyko breathing Techniques.n.
For more information visit Shooka’s website: www.shookaafshar.com