Cyrus Forough ( Persian: سیروس فروغ (

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

: علی فروغ) is a

Persian-American Iranian Americans are United States citizens or nationals who are of Iranian ancestry or who hold Iranian citizenship. Iranian Americans are among the most highly educated people in the United States. They have historically excelled in busine ...

concert

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

ist and professor. Forough was born in

Tehran Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...

and began violin studies at age five with his mother, a graduate of the Brussels Royal Conservatory of Music. At nine, Forough was the youngest ever to be admitted to the Royal Conservatory of Music, Brussels as a pupil of Arthur Grumiaux. Later studies were with David Oistrakh at the Moscow Conservatory. Following Oistrakh's death, Forough came to the United States to study with

Josef Gingold Josef Gingold (; January 11, 1995) was a Russian-born American classical violinist and teacher who lived most of his life in the United States. At the time of his death he was considered one of the most influential violin masters in the United St ...

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universit ...

and served as Gingold's assistant. Cyrus Forough is a laureate of the

Tchaikovsky International Competition The International Tchaikovsky Competition is a classical music competition held every four years in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, Russia, for pianists, violinists, and cellists between 16 and 32 years of age and singers between 19 and 32 years of ...

and first prizewinner of the Milwaukee Symphony Violin Competition. He was also a finalist in the Munich International Competition. Forough has appeared in recital and as soloist with orchestras internationally. Forough is a professor of violin and chamber music at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

, Pittsburgh, PA. Winner of the USIA's National violin/piano Duo Competition with his wife, pianist Carolyn McCracken, Forough represented the United States as an Artistic Ambassador under the auspices of the US State Department. Forough has concertized and given master classes in Asia and South America. He has also conducted master classes at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Chateau de Champs in Paris, Oberlin Conservatory of Music, and the Toronto Royal Conservatory of Music's Glenn Gould program, among others. Cyrus Forough is the son of

Mehdi Forough Mehdi Forough (1911–2008) was an Iranian scholar, author, dramatist, writer on dramatic arts and culture, translator, and founder of the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Tehran. A native of Esfahan, Mehdi Forough attended Danesh Sara-ye Aali in Tehr ...

, an Iranian scholar, author, dramatist, writer who founded the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Tehran, and Fakhri Dowlatabadi, one of the Iranian women pioneers in playing and teaching of western classical music and the daughter of Haji Mirza Yahya Dowlatabadi, who was the son of

Subh-i-Azal Ṣubḥ-i-Azal (1831–1912, born Mírzá Yaḥyá) was an Iranian religious leader of Azali, Azali Bábism, known for his conflict with his half-brother Baháʼu'lláh over leadership of the Bábí community after 1853. In 1850, when he was ju ...

, and a prominent Constitutionalist of the 1906

Persian Constitutional Revolution The Persian Constitutional Revolution ( fa, مشروطیت, Mashrūtiyyat, or ''Enghelāb-e Mashrūteh''), also known as the Constitutional Revolution of Iran, took place between 1905 and 1911. The revolution led to the establishment of a par ...

and one of the founders of the modern school systems in Persia/Iran.

Discography

* VI Tchaikovsky International Competition. Violin (1978) * Sonata Electronica; Works by Alireza Mashayekhi (2019)

References

External links

Cyrus Forough's WebsiteCMU Faculty pageMusic Institute of Chicago Faculty page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forough, Cyrus Moscow Conservatory alumni Carnegie Mellon University faculty Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Iranian classical musicians American people of Iranian descent