 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Persian mezzo-soprano Raeeka Shehabi-Yaghmai has received critical acclaim for her "warm sound" and her "charismatic stage presence".
Recently she appeared as Polina in Pique Dame with West Bay Opera, Mrs. Page in Merry Wives of Windsor with Bear Valley Music Festival, Lola in Cavalleria Rusticana with West Bay Opera, and the title role in concert performances of Bizet's Carmen with Oakland Lyric Opera and Pacific Union Concert Series.
Last season she was invited back to Eldorado Opera to perform the role of Zerlina in their production of Don Giovanni after her company debut as Hansel in Hansel and Gretel. She made her European debut singing the title role in Carmen at Opera Brasov in Romania in 2006. Other operatic roles include: Poppea and Ottavia in L'incoronazione di Poppea; Rosina in Scarlatti's Il Trionfo dell Onore; Cherubino in Le nozze di Figaro; Dorabella in Cosi fan Tutte; Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Nancy in Albert Herring; The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors; Dinah in Trouble in Tahiti; and the title roles in Iolanthe, and La Perichole.
Ms. Shehabi-Yaghmai's Oratorio and Concert work includes Mozart's Coronation Mass, Haydn's Mass for Prince Nicolai, and Bach's Magnificat, in addition to appearances with San Francisco Opera Center, Festival Opera, Monterey Opera Orchestra, Oakland Lyric Opera, and Pasadena Opera Guild. In 2000 she performed Cliff Eidelman's debut composition Wedding in the Night Garden at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.
An avid interpreter of Persian folksong, Ms. Shehabi-Yaghmai has done extensive research on the genre and since January, 2007 has collaborated with composer David Garner on new arrangements of selected melodies. Her recent recital at Brand Library Music Series in Glendale, CA marked the debut of a number of these song settings for piano and voice. Other performances in this genre include featured soloist for the International Sharif University Reunions in San Diego, Heidelberg (Germany), and Santa Clara as well as the fundraiser gala for Iranian-American district supervisor of San Francisco Ross Mirkarimi.
In 2008 she will be featured as Carmen with Livermore Opera, Mercedes with Pacific Repertory Opera, Cherubino with Mendocino Music Festival, soloist with Monterey Opera Orchestra, and soloist with Oakland East Bay Symphony in the premiere performance of David Garner's orchestrations of Persian Folk Songs. In addition she will appear in an Iranian Gala celebrating International Women's Day and will perform Alden Jenks' solo opera The Soup with Ensemple Parallèle.
In summer of 2005 Ms. Shehabi-Yaghmai established her first Summer Opera Workshop Company TANEEN OPERA in San Francisco, training aspiring beginning level opera singers who wish to gain experience in performing arts. She maintains an active vocal studio in San Francisco.
Ms. Shehabi-Yaghmai was the winner of the 1999 CSUN annual concerto competition as well as a finalist for the prestigious Merola auditions whereafter she was hired as a resident artist with the San Francisco Opera Center. Additional awards include: Beulah Allen and John Vaznaian voice scholarships, the 1999 Outstanding Iranian Student Award, and The Outstanding Bachelor's Degree Graduate in Music at California State University of Northridge.
Ms. Shehabi-Yaghmai holds a Bachelor of Music, Magna Cum Laude, from California State University of Northridge, and a Master of Music and a Post Graduate Artist's Diploma from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.