Shahin Farhat
A Friendship in Music
FRIENDS
9/26/20262 min read
The friendship between Leonid Sarvarian and the Farhat brothers—Shahin, Ali, and Farokh Farhat—began during their high school years and remained part of Leonid’s life for decades. What started as a youthful friendship gradually became intertwined with one of Leonid’s deepest interests: music. Even after Shahin left Iran to pursue his musical studies abroad, the connection endured, and when he returned, the friendship resumed with a new dimension shaped by his growing knowledge and professional life in music.
Leonid had long taught himself piano and had a particular affection for classical music, but Shahin became someone he could turn to for deeper musical guidance. He shared his knowledge generously, helping Leonid refine his understanding of music and offering insight that Leonid, in turn, could pass on to the children around him. Their friendship was therefore not simply social; it became part of Leonid’s continuing effort to educate himself and to make culture accessible to younger generations.
That connection became especially meaningful through Leonid’s “Useful Afternoon” program, a series created to introduce children to different professions, disciplines, and areas of knowledge. The Farhat brothers—and Shahin in particular—participated on several occasions, speaking with children and sharing their experience of music and musical life. Their involvement helped transform these afternoons from ordinary school activities into encounters with working artists and professionals who could make distant ideas feel immediate and real.
The brothers also helped facilitate visits and day trips to musical venues, giving Sarvarian students opportunities to attend performances and encounter classical music outside the classroom. For Leonid, who believed strongly that children should not merely be told about culture but should experience it, these outings were an important extension of education. The Farhats helped make that possible, opening doors into concert halls and musical spaces that many of the children might otherwise never have entered.
The friendship lasted throughout Leonid’s life. Even after distance made regular visits impossible, he remained in contact with the Farhat brothers in Iran by telephone for as long as he was able. Their story is a reminder that many of the Sarvarian family’s most meaningful relationships were built not only around friendship, but around a shared belief in education, culture, and the responsibility to pass knowledge from one generation to the next.