Marganita Vogt-Khofri

Marganita "Maggie" Vogt-Khofri (PerB| مارگانیتا خفری ) is an Assyrian classical musician and vocalist.

Biography

Marganita "Maggie" Vogt-Khofri is an Assyrian classical musician and vocalist, born in Kermanshah, Iran in 1952. She is the daughter of Jeni and Paulus Khofri, the famous Assyrian composer, maestro and painter. In 1984, Vogt-Khofri, her husband Edwin Vogt and two children moved to Zurich, Switzerland where they now live. She works as a volunteer for Karitas, [ [http://www.karitas.si/ Karitas - Slovenska karitas, Klic dobrote ] ] a division of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement in Switzerland [ [http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/dbc.nsf/doc100?OpenForm ReliefWeb » Home Page ] ] helping Assyrian, Iranian and other people of the Middle-East regions to process petition papers for immigration purposes, predominantly to Canada and the United States. [ [http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/1999/aug23_1999.htm#Anchor-LITERATUS ZENDA - August 23, 1999 ] ] [ [http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/1999/aug23_1999.htm#Anchor-LITERATUS ZENDA - August 23, 1999 ] ]

Music

Vogt-Khofri began studying piano at the age of eleven at the "Tehran Conservatory of Music" and moved to the United States to complete high school. While still a student, she began studying Christian spiritual songs and took up playing the guitar. [ [http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/1999/aug23_1999.htm#Anchor-LITERATUS ZENDA - August 23, 1999 ] ]

Continuing her musical studies, she returned to Tehran and attended the University of Tehran where she earned her Master's Degree in piano, opera and musicology. By eighteen, she joined the "Tehran Opera House", known as "Talar-e Vahdat" [ [http://www.persiancarpet.lv/english/ir_teh_vahdat.htm Vahdat Hall ] ] formerly "Talar-e Roudaki" [ [http://www.artira.com/nimakiann/history/roudaki_page.html Roudaki Hall Opera House in Tehran ] ] , as a vocalist (soprano and alto) where she performed for twelve years in the choir. Later she became the director of the "Women’s Conservatory of Tehran" for many years.

Vogt-Khofri was also a folkloric dancer and member of the "Assyrian Folkloric Dancing Ensemble", under the direction of Madam Lily Tamraz. She was selected as a folkloric representative by the "Iranian Ministry of Culture and Arts" to participate in the Arts Festival at the "Folkloric Music and Dances of Worldwide Nations" in Cannes, France.

Vogt-Khofri was an active member of "Saint Joseph’s Assyro-Chaldean Church Choir of Tehran" under the direction of her father, Paulus Khofri.

Vogt-Khofri also performed with the "Sirinas Quartet" (“Singing Bird Quartet”), an Assyrian quartet of performers and musicians that included Joseph Malik, Shubert Khodabandi and Johnny Khangaldi. The quartet promoted Assyrian spiritual and popular songs performing several concerts for the Assyrian community in Iran and also for foreign cultural centers at the "Goethe German Institute", the "Denmark Cultural Center" and the "Dutch Cultural Center" all located in Iran. "Sirinas Quartet" produced an album called "Christmas" with Assyrian songs for the family. [ [http://www.zindamagazine.com/html/archives/1999/aug23_1999.htm#Anchor-LITERATUS ZENDA - August 23, 1999 ] ]

Currently, Vogt-Khofri is a member of the "Grand Choir of St. George Cathedral" that is accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of Zurich and the Opera Choir of Zurich [ [http://www.opernhaus.ch/e/oper/chor.php Zurich Opera House - Chor der Oper Zürich ] ] . Additionally, she is a member of the "Bach Singers' Society." She also teaches piano having developed her own unique method of teaching.

References

* "Nineveh" magazine, Vol 22, #1&2

ee also

*List of Assyrians