Meet Iman Khosrowpour | Musician and Educator, Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Iman Khosrowpour and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Iman, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am originally from Iran, and my family emigrated to the United States when I was two years old. After ten years in Dallas, Texas, my family moved to Irvine, California. The formative high school years had a profound impact on my development; I was fortunate to benefit from the stellar Irvine public school system, and my school ensemble (at Irvine High School) was one of the premiere programs in the region. I was also very lucky to find an outstanding violin teacher, William R. Kennedy, who took me under his wing, helped me develop a love for music and learning, and remains a mentor to this day. I doubt that I would have found the path to music if it were not for my years in Irvine.

Inspired by my high school educational experience, I furthered my musical studies at the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University, Rice University and New England Conservatory. Each school possessed its own unique attributes which helped shape my ideas of music, and once again I was incredibly fortunate to have wonderful mentors.

After ten years of freelance musician work in Boston, a fascination with Japanese culture since high school – inspired by period-styled swordplay television series and Japanese novels – led to pursuing a graduate degree in Japanese studies at Harvard University. The skills I developed in critical thinking, meticulous study of Japanese texts and studying a language far removed from Western thought and philosophy challenged me in new ways, and living in Japan for a total of two years gave me a broader perspective and greater sense of empathy.

I returned to my hometown of Irvine in 2010, and since then have enjoyed several successes – a thriving private violin and viola teaching studio, starting a music festival in 2015 (Irvine Music Festival), and teaching and conducting the symphony orchestra at Irvine Valley College, where my mother earned her Associate Degree and my grandmother took English classes. I had the incredible opportunity to go to Europe under a private foundation grant in summer 2021, and I chose Berlin, Germany as my base. During my time there I attended well over 100 concerts throughout Europe, conducted professional ensembles in Lviv (Ukraine), Berlin and Leipzig, Germany and managed a glimpse into the daily life of Europeans.

I consider all these experiences part of my background and upbringing. Learning and growth are never-ending processes, constantly informing how we grow and revealing new pathways and exciting possibilities. Having studied Spanish, Italian, Japanese, German and speaking Farsi, I have developed an international, adaptable mindset and a great sense of empathy to understand different perceptions.

Many of these experiences have happened within the framework of education, which is why I am an educator today.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Irvine Music Festival (IMF) was a project that I and my team started in 2014. The concept emanated from a desire to provide the young musicians of Irvine with a summer opportunity to continue to hone the skills they develop throughout the year. Having taught at a number of international summer programs and also having myself attended the Aspen Music Festival and other programs in Boston and Japan, the idea of creating a project in my hometown which had given so much to me was very appealing.

Like any business, there have been bumps along the road, but we learned every step of the way and more confident than ever that we bring something unique to the Irvine experience. Maintaining good communication with participants and their parents, listening to the needs of the faculty and staff and finding the relevance to the community are some of the challenges we have faced. However, by maintaining a good line of communication and working together, we are able to surmount each obstacle and turn every challenge into a learning event which enhances our growth and strength.

We want the world to know that Irvine Music Festival – now an international program hosting students and faculty from around the world – is a place where young musicians come to be inspired, make new friends and create new memories. We are a musical family committed to diversity and an enriching experience, bringing together the participants, faculty and community to celebrate the beauty of music-making.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would definitely hit the beach! Although not in Irvine proper, Newport Beach and Laguna Beach are less than half an hour away. The Irvine school music programs boast top-level ensembles, and whether it is a symphony orchestra or a jazz combo, you can find incredibly talented musicians everywhere. The diversity of Irvine is fantastic, so if Asian food is your thing you can find Asian markets, excellent Korean barbecue, Szechuan style Chinese food and wonderful ramen. As an Iranian I am happy to have access to a few Iranian supermarkets and excellent restaurants where I can find the tastiest stews!

A short drive up the freeway brings you to South Coast Plaza, one of the best shopping malls in the country for luxury goods. When you have shopped until you have dropped, visit the world-renown Segerstrom Center for the Arts across the street, where you can hear musicals and our very own Pacific Symphony, in addition to a host of phenomenal international orchestras which give concerts there every year.

Irvine is a family-oriented and meticulously planned city, and the number of parks and amount of greenery in the city is astounding. It’s the perfect place for swimming, running, hiking and playing basketball or tennis outdoors nearly the entire year!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Without a doubt my mother deserves a huge shoutout. Her wonderful attributes as a mom stem from her good and generous heart. She has a formidable work ethic and an immense innate strength of which I am in awe of to this day. She is and will always be a source of inspiration and strength!

Website: https://www.irvinemusicfestival.org/

Instagram: irvinemusicfestival

Facebook: Irvine Music Festival

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Af4NqIMKfE

Image Credits
Tanya Yarmolovych Sheng Jiang Justin Lin