Publication Date: Friday, January 09, 2004
Musical relief
Musical relief
(January 09, 2004) Locals help Iran earthquake survivors with benefit concert
by Rachel Metz
In the wake of the massive late-December earthquake in Bam, Iran, some locals are using music to help survivors.
Organized by Palo Altan Afshin Daghi, a concert this Saturday night at the First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto aims to raise $15,000 to $20,000 for relief efforts. The Dec. 26 temblor killed an estimated 30,000 people -- more than a third of the southeastern Iranian city's 80,000 people. The earthquake also destroyed the vast majority of the city's buildings.
Several of Daghi's friends, who are musicians, decided to hold a benefit concert.
"I'm originally from Iran and it was too difficult to watch the news stories about tens of thousands of people who have been killed and lost their lives. ... We thought, we have to do something," Daghi said.
They ended up scheduling two concerts. The first was held last Saturday, Jan. 3 in Santa Monica and raised approximately $20,000. Money raised between the two concerts will go to Relief International, a humanitarian organization that helps disaster victims worldwide.
The organization will add the benefit's funds to efforts already in place to rebuild 500 homes for families affected by the quake, Farshad Rastegar, Relief International's executive director, said. They're trying to raise $1 million for this reconstruction effort, and have received about $650,000 so far, Rastegar said.
Daghi is using the church at a reduced rate, according to United Methodist, and got liability insurance donated for the cause early this week. Some concert proceeds will cover the church rental fee.
The Methodist church's sanctuary can hold nearly 600 concertgoers, a church spokesperson said. Tickets cost $30 each and Daghi anticipates people will donate on top of the requested fee.
The musicians, who are playing for free, are mostly locals and play Persian instruments like the oud, a stringed instrument with a low-pitched tone, and daf, which is similar to a tambourine.
"I hope both (Persian and non-Persian) communities will show up because I think it's actually a very interesting assortment of music," Daghi said.
East Bay psychotherapist and classical Persian vocalist Taghi Amjadi agrees, saying the benefit doesn't only target Iranians. Amjadi will sing at Saturday's concert.
"I think music is a common language for a harmonized world so it's beyond one culture and one nationality and one geographic border. ... This could happen to anywhere in the world," he said.
Amjadi said he's not wealthy and "the only gift I could provide in this situation was my music," he said.
"People, by coming and seeing this concert, definitely help rescue some people that are in cold and starvation danger in Iran," Amjadi said.
Rachel Metz can be e-mailed at rmetz@paweekly.com
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