Shahram Shiva is a performance poet, translator, scholar, and author, whose principal subject is Rumi, a 13-century Persian

Persian people

The Persian people are part of the Iranian peoples who speak the modern Persian language and closely akin Iranian dialects and languages. The origin of the ethnic Iranian/Persian peoples are traced to the Ancient Iranian peoples, who were part of the ancient Indo-Iranians and themselves part of...

 poet.

Shiva was born to a Persian Jewish

Persian Jews

Persian Jews , are Jews historically associated with Iran, traditionally known as Persia in Western sources.Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran. The Book of Esther contains some references to the experiences of Jews in Persia...

 family in Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

, and emigrated to the United States at age 16. He has been translating Rumi's poetry since 1988.

Performances

Since 1992, Shahram Shiva has been presenting Rumi concerts at numerous venues, including the United Nations

United Nations

The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...

, the Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Institution

The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...

, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego , in San Diego, California, USA, is an art museum focused on the collection, preservation, exhibition, and interpretation of works of art from 1950 to the present.-History:...

, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Joyce Theater

Joyce Theater

The Joyce Theater is a 472-seat dance performance venue located in the Chelsea area of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The Joyce Theater Foundation, the organization founded in 1982 that operates the theater, also owns the Joyce SoHo dance center located in a former firehouse on Mercer...

, and New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

.

From April 25 to May 5, 1998, Shiva performed in his own opera, Until the Next Whirl, at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club

La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club is an off-off Broadway theatre founded in 1961 by Ellen Stewart, and named in reference to her. Located on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the theatre grew out of Stewart's tiny basement boutique for her fashion designs; the boutique's space acted as a theatre for...

 in the Lower East Side

Lower East Side

The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....

 of Manhattan

Manhattan

Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...

.

Recordings

• Love Evolve, a collection of 10 songs. A mix of Rumi poetry set to music, and original songs with lyrics by Shahram Shiva. Produced and arranged by the Grammy-Award winner Danny Blume
  Danny Blume
  Danny Blume is an American music producer, musician, and composer. He is a Grammy Award winner, multiple Grammy nominee, and co-founder/owner of the production team GoodandEvil with Christian Castagno, with studios operating in Brooklyn and Woodstock New York...
  
  ; co-produced by Shahram Shiva.
• Rumi: Lovedrunk, a collection of 10 songs with lyrics based on Rumi poems, as translated and interpreted by Shahram Shiva. Produced and arranged by Olivier Glissant; co-produced by Shahram Shiva.

Awards & Grants

• "Benjamin Franklin Award" (1996) by the American Booksellers Association. Best Book in Religion Category

by Independent Book Publishers Association for Shiva's "Rending the Veil: Literal and Poetic Translations of Rumi" (1995, HOHM Press).

• "Merchant & Ivory Foundation Grant" (1994) by Merchant Ivory Productions
  Merchant Ivory Productions
  Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...
  
  for Shiva's "Rending the Veil: Literal and Poetic Translations of Rumi" (1995, HOHM Press).

Quotes

• "The beloved is you."
• "Leave your conventional thinking at the door, but your ego is welcome."
• "You can take it with you. In fact you will take the collective essence of all your experiences with you after you pass away."
• "The most precious attribute in the universe is imagination and the most abundant is love."

Radio & Television Interviews

• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, November 10, 2011
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, August 4, 2011
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, May 12, 2011
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, February 17, 2011
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, December 9, 2010
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, October 14, 2010
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, December 3, 2009
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, October 8, 2009
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, April 2, 2009
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, January 22, 2009
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, August 7, 2008
• RockOm.net interview and featured artist, July 22-28, 2008
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, June 5, 2008
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, March 6, 2008
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, December 27, 2007
• BBC World Service, Global, December 2, 2007
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, November 15, 2007
• BBC, Turkey, October 5-7, 2007
• WNYC-FM (NPR), New York City, February 27, 2007
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, January 11, 2007
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, August 3, 2006
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, September 8, 2005
• WNYC-FM (NPR), New York City, June 9, 2005
• WBAI-FM, New York City, May 11, 2004
• XETV-TV, "FOX 6 News in the Morning," San Diego, California, June 22, 2001
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, April 6, 2000
• KKUP-FM, Northern California, September 26, 1999
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, July 16, 1999
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, May 8, 1999
• WRPI-FM, Albany, New York, October 12, 1998
• WBAI-FM, New York City, August 28, 1998
• WBAI-FM, New York City, November 1, 1997
• WAMC-FM, Albany, New York, August 21, 1997
• WBAI-FM, New York City, April 26, 1997
• WNYC-FM (NPR), New York City, December 2, 1996 (New Sounds)
• WNYC-FM (NPR), New York City, August 1, 1995
• WTAB-AM, New York City, July 7, 1995
• WBAI-FM, New York City, May 2, 1995

External links

• Rumi.net, Rumi Network
• ShahramShiva.com
• Lovedrunk.com, a Shahram Shiva recording project
• LoveEvolve.com, a Shahram Shiva recording project
• Shahram Shiva Facebook Page