AZADI Songs of Freedom Brings Together GRAMMY®-Winning and GRAMMY®-Nominated Artists in a Sonic Proclamation: Freedom Always Prevails
There is no force more powerful than a woman determined to rise.”— W.E.B. Du BoisST. AUGUSTINE, FL, UNITED STATES, August 27, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — AZADI Songs of Freedom unites an international group of GRAMMY®-winning and GRAMMY®-nominated musicians, artists, producers, engineers, and human rights defenders around a core belief: Freedom is an inherent human right, and no administration ought to have the authority to quiet the human voice. Creators from the United States, Canada, Iran, Chile, Portugal, and India stand in unity with oppressed communities worldwide, especially women still striving for their most fundamental rights and liberties. Several contributors to the album are themselves survivors of severe government oppression and torture, sexual violence, and extreme domestic and systemic abuse.
OVERVIEW OF AZADI SONGS OF FREEDOM
Azadi translates to “freedom” in Farsi. That notion ties together five pieces that blend contemporary classical composition with Persian musical elements through piano, strings, soprano, percussion, prepared piano, programming, and sound design. The album includes piano performances and compositions by GRAMMY®-nominated artist Mary Dawood Catlin, as well as compositions by Iranian human rights activist and victim of extreme authoritarian repression — Mehdi Rajabian. Catlin wrote “Free Cypress, Bird of Dawn” and “An Elegy for Yesterday”; Rajabian created “Winds, Wounds & Silent Names” and “Where Sorrow Dances.” Together they composed “The Horizon Bore Witness” with co-composing by conductor and composer Maestro Nadeem Majdalany, and co-composing and arranging by Lazuli across all five works. On AZADI, Majdalany employed a selection of antique munitions from every 20th-century war as percussive tools, explaining, “I turned instruments of death into instruments of beauty.”
Lead artists Mary Dawood Catlin (pianist, composer, producer), Nadeem Majdalany (conductor, percussionist, prepared piano, co-composer, producer), and Mehdi Rajabian (originator, composer, producer) are accompanied by featured performers: touring musician and Violectric band leader Michelle Wade Jones (violin), GRAMMY®-winner Peter Jacobson (cello), Michael T. Geib (double bass), Toronto-based Mezzo-Soprano Diana Di Mauro, Lazuli (programming, sound design, co-composer, arranger), and Fierra Ex Machina (percussionist). Production credits go to Mary Dawood Catlin, Todd Catlin, Nadeem Majdalany, and Mehdi Rajabian; recording engineering by Todd Catlin, Nadeem Majdalany, Gemma Castro, and Gerald Jones; editing engineering by Cristóbal “Tibo” Gajardo and Bryard Huggins; mixing engineering by “Tibo” Gajardo, Ashish Manchanda, and Bryard Huggins; mastering by Gajardo; and assistant engineering by Blake Dimas, Emily Palman, Nathan Wolfe, Ignacio Yañez (Extreme Audio), and Ekaa Sood. Cover art illustration comes from L.A.-based artist VaiBionic; cover art graphic design is by VaiBionic and Mary Dawood Catlin; booklet/liner notes graphic design was handled by Mary Dawood Catlin; liner notes were written by the four producers with poems “Their Souls Whispered Freedom” and “We Shall Rise” authored by Mary Dawood Catlin. Direction for the album artwork was provided by VaiBionic, Mary Dawood Catlin, Nadeem Majdalany, Todd Catlin, and Mehdi Rajabian. The Bösendorfer piano that Mary played was tuned by Jared Morvant, a touring musician and band leader who performed with Taylor Swift (RED tour, 2013).
Everyone who took part in AZADI Songs of Freedom recognizes the significance of that collaboration. The album stands beside those who keep making art in the face of oppression and with all who believe that the freedom to live, speak, create, and decide one’s own path is essential to human dignity. For every participant, it serves as a proclamation:
Freedom always triumphs.
AZADI Songs of Freedom is now available worldwide.
Mary Dawood Catlin
Elysium Classics LLC
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Instagram
Facebook
X
