Petrichor Records | Iranian New Waves

Iranian New Waves

Featured Composers of the first volume:

Contemporary Iranian composer Amin Sharifi’s (b. 1993 in Tehran, Iran) works have been performed throughout the North America, Europe, Asia, and, his home country, Iran. He is the Artistic Director of Petrichor Records, an American record label specializing in contemporary classical music by living composers. His music has been called “creative, individualistic, artistic” by the critique of Juilliard School of Music and the “product of an unbridled imagination” by the Memphis Daily News. Sharifi's pieces have been performed by such new music ensembles and orchestras as the JACK Quartet, Mivos Quartet, Ostravska Banda, Hypercube, A&C String Quartet, Luna Nova, DissonArt, Duo Sequenza, Pierrot-Tehran, Breakout, the Indiana University Symphonic Band, and the Indiana Philharmonic. His music has been heard at ReMusik, Ostrava Days, Synthetis, eviMus, Tehran Contemporary Music Festival, Druskomanija Festival, WSU Contemporary Art Music Festival, and RISUONANZE. Soloists who have performed his music include, among others, Christopher Otto, Austin Wulliman, and Alex Sopp.
His triple concerto “TrombionOphone or Riders in the Field of Hope” for soprano saxophone, trombone, and accordion won first place in the XXIII Edition of International Composition Competition Concorso 2 Agosto and was consequently performed by the Toscanini Philharmonic Orchestra in Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, Italy.
Sharifi has two released albums; A Portrait of the Composer as a Young Man (2017), an album of his selected chamber music composed from 2013 to 2016, and Shifting Colors on the Slant (2018), a CD collection of his solo piano music.
Amin Sharifi currently holds a Ph.D Fellowship in Composition at Duke University in the United States.

Kelariz Keshavarz is an internationally awarded flutist, active in both the classical and contemporary fields. She is an avid sound artist, improviser, and pedagogue.
Passionate about contemporary music, Keshavarz has performed in many festivals including the Tehran Contemporary Music Festival (TCMF) in Iran, the Missouri International Composers Festival (MICF), the Flute New Music Consortium (FNMC), the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Conference, and the SCI Region VI Conference in the United States. She has also performed multiple world premieres. Keshavarz is the Co-Founder of Petrichor Records, a record label that sponsors and publishes contemporary music by living composers around the world.
Keshavarz as an active flutist of new music by living Iranian composers has commissioned more than fifty new works, touring internationally. She has collaborated with a variety of artistic professionals including visual artists, movie directors, sound artists, and choreographers. The Iranian New Waves Project is the culmination of her experiences in this anthology of contemporary music by living Iranian composers.
Keshavarz has served as the principal and guest principal flutist with the Tehran Symphony, the Tehran National Orchestra, the Tehran Philharmonic, the Parsian Orchestra, the Nilper Orchestra, the Camerata Orchestra, the SouthSide Philharmonic Orchestra with Patrick Clark, and in the Odyssey Chamber Series under the baton of Kirk Trevor.
Keshavarz’s many honors include the Artist Presentation Society Award, the Emerging Artist Award from the University of Missouri, the Missouri Music Teachers Association Collegiate Division Award, the Fajr International Music Festival Award, and the Youth and Music Festival Award in Tehran, Iran.

About the Curators

About

Composers

Curators

Pieces

“Iranian New Waves” is a unique project whose goal is to present over fifty new compositions for solo flute created by established contemporary Iranian composers. The history of music-making throughout Persia over millennia has contributed to the rich repertoire of contemporary Iranian music. The composers featured in this project have drawn from this distinguished heritage to expand upon the flute repertoire, each with their own unique approach. While these composers are currently living in various nations around the world, all of them are of Iranian descent and continue to have a significant influence upon the development of contemporary music in Iran. This anthology of music encompasses a vast array of inspirational influences extending from village shepherd music to the hustle and bustle of today’s metropolitan cities; from the words of Persian poets and philosophers to Western cultural influences. The compositions on this album have either been newly commissioned or they are preexisting works that have not previously been released.

The project curators, Amin Sharifi and Kelariz Keshavarz are internationally renowned, award-winning musicians specializing in contemporary music. As the solo performer featured on the album, Keshavarz demonstrates an extensive musical proficiency with performances on the flute, piccolo, alto flute, and bass flute.

With such a heavy focus on Western music within the musical canon, as well as amongst the contemporary flute repertoire, this project strives to broaden well-established boundaries by introducing music that embodies the rich history of Persian influences. By engaging currently active flute performers around the world with music that stretches beyond the norm, this project strives to cross cultural boundaries, inviting both performers and listeners alike into a wider and more richly varied musical macrocosm. The first volume of this anthology will be released in the fall of 2020, and the second volume in 2021, under the Petrichor Records label.

Composers of the first volume: Alireza Mashayekhi, Nader Mashayekhi, Reza Vali, Peyman Yazdanian, Farnaz Modarresifar, Sina Fallahzadeh, Mehdi Khayami, Ankido Darash, Amin Sharifi, Arsalan Abedian, Rouzbeh Rafie, Ali Radman, Ali Gorji, Morteza Shirkoohi, Amir Eslami, Arvin Sedaghatkish, Amir Pourkhalaji, Ashkan Khamsehpour, Reza Nakisa, Nima Rowshan, Saeed Alijani, and Golfam Khayam.

Iranian New Waves Upcoming/Past Concerts

August 6, 2020

National Flute Association 2020

June 20-28

Tehran Contemporary Music Festival

May 5, 2020