NEW YORK (JTA) -- Growing up, Galeet Dardashti toured and performed with her father, Farid, a renowned cantor, performing Middle Eastern and Persian music throughout the United States and Canada as part of The Dardashti Family.

“We’ve been called the 'Jewish Von Trapps,' ” Dardashti says jokingly.

Dardashti, a mother of two in her mid-30s, now is carrying the musical mantle of her family, which stretches back several generations in Iran, on her own. The lead singer of Divahn, an all-female Middle Eastern ensemble, has a new solo show, "Monajat," premiering Sept.2 in Miami, which will tour through several U.S. cities in September until the beginning of Rosh Hashanah.

Having studied Persian classical music since the age of 5 years, Nima has always found an interest in sound and structure of ethnic music.

"My goal was always to score films and create a new sound," says Nima.

A plus for Nima Project One Hour Fantasy Girl was the freedom he had to get into the characters and really create a partition that he believes moves along the film and creates an exciting atmosphere, without getting in the way.

"Becky character was so rich and complex, it was easy to get in touch with his emotions," said Nima.

Born in Tehran, Iran was in Persian classical music from birth, he slept in his music, and the santoor was his lullaby. At the age of five he started learning the music and the santoor. He began to study music with Ostad Tavakoli, then with Ostad Hematabadi and finally with Ostad Saeed Sabet. As the youngest musician at the Academy he played in many gatherings side by side with Ostad Sabet. He finished the study of Radif (Persian Classical Repertoire) with Ostad Sabet....

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Growing up, Galeet Dardashti toured and performed with her father, Farid, a renowned cantor, performing Middle Eastern and Persian music throughout the United States and Canada as part of The Dardashti Family.

“We’ve been called the ‘Jewish Von Trapps,’ ” Dardashti says jokingly.

Dardashti, a mother of two in her mid-30s, now is carrying the musical mantle of her family, which stretches back several generations in Iran, on her own. The lead singer of Divahn, an all-female Middle Eastern ensemble, has a new solo show, “Monajat,” premiering Sept. 2 in Miami that will tour several U.S. cities throughout September until the start of Rosh HaShanah.

In “Monajat,” Dardashti has taken the 13th-century Sufi poem of the same name, which means “fervent prayer,” and blended it into the traditional Persian songs and liturgy for Selichot, the penitential prayers recited by Jews in the days leading up to the High Holidays.

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