Mo Jamal is a multi-faceted artist who has devoted his professional life to the pursuit of excellence and high achievement in a variety media, including the visual arts and instrumental music. One of his most recent artistic ventures is a CD he jointly produced with his wife, Shahla. Mo composed 10 songs for his project, each in Farsi and in English; he played most of the string, wind, and percussion instruments for the recording; he assisted in translating the song lyrics from Farsi to English; and he handled the technical aspects of the recording and mix-in process himself to produce the CD. He and Shahla jointly planned and created the artwork for the CD package.
A native of Tehran, Iran, Mo has been active for more than 30 years on the cultural scene in France, Germany, and the U.S. He is graduate of Tehran University and holds a Master�s of Fine Arts degree. Also, he studied at the Conservatory of Tehran, Iran. While pursuing his doctoral studies in Art at the University of Sorbonne, France, he continued his violin studies. From an early age, Mo has been deeply involved in art, music, and literature. He has produced and exhibited works of art in oil, acrylic, water color, pastel, and other creative art media from traditional to contemporary styles. In 1980, Mo created a puppet movie, Abraham in the Fire,. Mo is a composer, poet, master of the violin, band director, cartoonist, illustrator, art critic, and educator who teaches students at the Master�s level in both visual arts and music.
In Germany, Mo and Shahla worked as art teachers and performed in artistic events over a period of several years. In 1991, they founded Art Direct Gallery in Cologne, which displayed works by a variety of artists. In 1991, Mo received the Kunstpreis International and Annual Art Exhibit Award in Wesseling, Germany. He has collaborated with several newspapers, magazines, and book companies. During his sojourn in Paris, his cartoons were published in such newspapers as Le Monde and L� Humanite. Also, gave several radio and television interviews in Iran; a 1990 television interview in Dortmund, Germany; and 1980, 1990, and 1992 interviews at the Deutche Welle radio Station.
Mo now lives in Austin, Texas with Shahla and their four sons. In the year 2000, Mo and Shahla co-founded the Rumi Art Society, a domestic nonprofit organization whose mission is to express and celebrate the work of the renowned ancient Persian poet, intellectual, and educator Rumi by providing an artistic outlet for Austin�s growing middle-eastern community and by exposing members of the Austin community to art forms and cultures with which they may not be familiar. Events sponsored and presented by the Rumi Art Society include a No-Rooz celebration of the Persian new year and other occasional events that combine music, dance, painting displays, poetry, and comedic performances. Mo�s activities and awards while living in Austin include the following:
� Program director of a weekly program featuring Persian music and culture on �Payk�e Ashti� via KOOP radio in Austin, Texas.
� Released 3 CDs and has 2 CDs in process.
� Conductor of the �Rumi Ensemble� since 1999.
� Year 2000, Austin, Texas, jointly with Shahla, published a series of paintings as a box of 10 assorted postcards.
� Composed numerous pieces for solo violin and chamber orchestra performances.
� Regularly performs solo violin recitals and participates in chamber and symphony orchestra.
� Numerous live television and radio presentations.
� 2001, Austin Chronicle, Mo Jamal citing among �the seven best strings players� in Austin.
Reviews of Mo�s work include the following:
� March, 2000 and 2001, Austin Chronicle, Mo Jamal: Reviews by David Lynch.
� December/January, 1998, AVAANTI, journal of the Austin Visual Arts Association with two joint works: painting featured on cover.
� February, 1997, Asheghaneh magazine in Houston, Texas, painting by Mo on cover and interview with Mo, with photograph.
� February, 1994, Rhein-Sieg-Zeitung, Bonn
� June, 1998, Rhein-Sieg- Anzeiger, Troisdorf
� December, 1987, Speyer Tagespost, Speyer
� November, 1987, Die Rheinpfalz, Ludwigshaufen
� May, 1987, Roemerberg Zeitung, Roemerberg
Mo is committed to the goal of the Rumi Art Society, and, along with Shahla, is looking forward to continually expanding the artistic, cultural, and educational offerings of that organization to the Austin community. In the multiple dimensions of poetry, music, dance, comedy, and the visual arts, Mo proposes to evoke the rich beauty and spirituality inherent in the artwork of ancient Persia and also to create new works to add to this cultural heritage.