Mercedes Bass
| Mercedes Bass | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Mercedes Tavacoli April 10, 1944 Tehran, Iran |
| Residence | Fort Worth, Texas Manhattan, New York Aspen, Colorado |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Philanthropist, Socialite |
| Political party | Republican |
| Board member of | Carnegie Hall Corporation, Aspen Institute, Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera, American Academy in Rome |
| Spouse(s) |
Francis L. Kellogg (divorced) Sid Bass (divorced) |
| Parent(s) |
Abolhassan Diba (step-father) Sorure Tavacoli-Diba (mother) |
| Relatives | Farah Pahlavi (step-cousin) Mohammad Mosaddegh (step-uncle) |
Mercedes Bass (born Mercedes Tavacoli) is an Iranian-American philanthropist active in New York City, Aspen, Colorado and Fort Worth, Texas. She has supported the Metropolitan Opera and she is a trustee of the Aspen Institute and the American Academy in Rome.
Mercedes Tavacoli Diba was born in Iran in 1944 to an upper-class family. She was educated in England. She received a bachelor's degree in Business from a Swiss university. Her father died when she was young. Her mother Sorure Tavacoli subsequently married Abolhassan Diba. He was the son of Fazlollah Diba (an aide to Crown Prince Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar) and Princess Malektadj Firuz (great-granddaughter of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar, second Qajar King (Shah) of Persia). She is a step-cousin of Farah Pahlavi, former Empress of Iran. Her step-father was also the half-brother of former Iranian prime minister Mohammad Mosaddegh.
She serves as Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee of the Carnegie Hall Corporation as well as Managing Director of the Board of Trustees and Executive Board of the Metropolitan Opera, both of which are based in New York City. In 2008, she appeared as an extra at the Met. In 2006 she donated $25 million to the Metropolitan Opera. The Mercedes T Bass Grand Tier was subsequently named in her honour.
Additionally, she serves on the Advisory Board of the Aspen Music School and on the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute, both of which are based in Aspen, Colorado. She has also served as Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and member of the Board of Directors of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association in Fort Worth, Texas, where she has been a donor. Currently, she serves as this orchestra's Chairman of the Board.
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