Mesopotamian Night 2014 honors one of the most prolific Assyrian composers with the Mesopotamian Music Award called "Raab Moosiqoreh" (Master of Musicians). He will be joining us in June from Sydney Australia. The article below is an excerpt from the life of this exceptional Assyrian.
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Alexander
(Shoora) Michailian was born in Kharkov, Ukraine, in 1930 to parents, Peera and
Anna. During his life in Ukraine, his passion for music was evident from an
early age, as he would gather the neighborhood children, instructing them to
march and play the basic instruments they had. When they noticed their son’s
talent and zeal for music, Shoora’s parents dedicated him to the instruction of
renowned musicians and professors, Mr. Wichman and Mr. Shendro, in Homel,
Belorussia’s School of Music; his passion for playing the violin saw its fruits
when he performed his first classical recital before parents and teachers at
the age of 8.
In
the midst of his musical education, Alexander’s family immigrated to Iran in
1938 and resided in Hamadan until his father’s death; his mother, Anna, then
moved the family to the city of Abadan in 1949. It was during these years in
Iran that Shoora met the celebrated Assyrian poet and composer, William Daniel,
and devoted himself to his mentorship. During the years he spent in Hamadan and
Abadan, Mr. Michailian held the position of Supervisor of Music at the Board of
Education in both cities. He established the first Assyrian band, The Eagle Band,
with all Assyrian musicians such as Mr. Paulus Khofri, along with the first
Nabouram Assyrian National Choir in Abadan’s Soosan Elementry School in 1966. Among
his local achievements, he directed the choir for the Education Department, the
Abadan Technical School Choir and the Roya Elementary School Orchestra of
Abadan. In 1969, Alexander relocated to Tehran, Iran, conducting Tehran’s Board
of Education Choir and Tehran’s Institute of Arts Orchestra for the King’s
Coronation Ceremony festivities. Conducting his musicians and choral groups
through renowned occasions such as birthday celebrations of Iran’s king and
queen, Mr. Michailian received the Royal Award from the king of Iran during the
2500th anniversary celebration of the Persian Empire, recognizing
his efforts in choral work. Among many of his entitlements and recognitions,
stand the award for the Asian/European Musical Contest and titles such as the
Director of the Fine Arts Department of Iran’s Ministry Education, Iran’s
National Music Camp—Ramsar Judge, Iran’s State radio children’s program
composer, and the Assyrian Church of the East hymn composer.
Upon
arriving in America in 1980, residing in Flint, Michigan for two years and
Modesto, California for another two years, Shoora and his wife, Lily settled in
Turlock, California in 1984 after his daughter Sabrina wedded and relocated to
Australia. His residence in America showcased his fruits of musical passion,
combined with his love for his ethnicity, to a new culture as he established the
choral group, Nabouram, consisting of almost 50 members along with the
Orchestra of the Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock in 1983. Nabouram’s
primary goals were to showcase Assyrian folkloric music while using classical
music theoretical techniques and the mid-20th century Suzuki
technique, familiarize other cultures with the Assyrian culture, maintain an
audio/video recording library, and perform at local educational institutions
and international events. For more than a decade, the Nabouram choral and
orchestra group held several concerts in Chicago, Illinois, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, San Jose, Modesto, and Turlock, California, along with numerous
participations in Assyrian national events and festivities.
In
1998, Mr. Michailian left his beloved Nabouram behind to live in Australia
where he began yet another dedicated journey towards promoting his yearning for
musical expression as a folkloric maestro. The Assyrian Church of the East
Bishop, Mar Meelis Zaia, invited Shoora to coordinate and direct a choral
group; Shoora began using the Suzuki method, instructing and conducting an
instrumental group of almost 60 children, anticipating great aspirations for
future achievements. The fruitful performances and accomplishments of his
instrumental group gained national recognition.
As
the Assyrian community acknowledges the rare musical treasure that resides in
Alexander (Shoora) Michailian, it recognizes that he has not only expressed his
passion through music, but he has also dedicated himself to his Assyrian
heritage. Mr. Michailian concludes: “I am an Assyrian. I have and still am
working for my Assyrian people, and I will die an Assyrian.”
References
- Awards Recipients at the AUA Gala in Australia [Newsgroup post]. (2000, October 19). Retrieved from Zinda Magazine website: http://zindamagazine.com/html/archives/2000/101900.htm.
- Eddy, B. (2014, May 1). [Telephone interview by the author].
E & H Video Production, Inc. (1987). A Concert by Nabouram in Chicago [Photograph]. E & H Video Production, Inc., Chicago, IL.
- Hammurabi Barhy, H. (n.d.). [Portrait of Alexander (Shoora) Michailian].
Moushoulof, V. (1999, July). Alexander (Shoora) Michailian. Purely Academic: The Quarterly Magazine of the Assyrian Australian Academic Society, Inc., 4(4).
- [Shoora Michailian's Childhood Music Group]. (2013, August 1). Retrieved from https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tdzmgvxa8x9g9rm/ueQeidw8id#lh:null-Rabi%20Shura%20Mikhailyan´s%20music%20group.jpg.
Appendix
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Appendix II
Appendix III
Appendix
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