About Heritage Series Honoring Mahin Shamszad & Homayoon Farzadegan

We are delighted to honor Mahin Shamszad & Homayoon Farzadegan with a concert of operatic tours de force performed by singers of international acclaim with chamber orchestra.  Dr. Shamszad is a long-time arts supporter having served on the Board of the Baltimore Opera Company, and has been a dedicated patron since the inception of Maryland Opera in 2017.  Dr. Shamszad trained in gastroenterology at Tufts University in Boston as well as the University of Maryland, and had a successful practice in Baltimore for 34 years. 

Dr. Farzadegan is a full professor of infectious diseases, epidemiology, and molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  He has been teaching and doing research on blood born viral infections for 38 years and is the founder and Director of the Johns Hopkins bio repository, maintaining 2.5 million samples.  He is also director of the virology, serology, and epigenetics laboratories. He has been actively researching the HIV epidemic, epigenetics of autism as well as genetics of COPD. 

Dr. Shamszad & Dr. Farzadegan share a deep love of opera and are both great supporters of the arts community in Baltimore. 

Maryland Opera

You cannot have a great city or state without great culture. Opera is a cultural gem, built on generations of rich history, steeped in traditions of artistic excellence, and beloved by passionate audiences.

Maryland Opera celebrates opera and is committed to bring the beauty and excitement of live opera to audiences of all ages and backgrounds throughout the state of Maryland.

Maryland Opera offers quality opera performances, innovative artistry, support for social awareness and change, education and outreach programming, commitment to underserved communities, and a vehicle for talented young vocalists to follow their dreams. Dedicated to long-term financial sustainability, Maryland Opera aspires to become the premier opera organization in Maryland!