Dr. Shahab Paranj

Composer, Instrumentalist Shahab Paranj, an Iranian-­‐born composer

holds degrees in music composition from San Francisco Conservatory of Music,

Manhattan School of Music, and the University of California, Los Angeles. He is 

considered as one of the pioneers among his generation of Iranian composers 

whose composition style integrates Persian and Western composition techniques. 

Known as a tombak virtuoso, he has performed, recorded, and collaborated with numerous  

highly-respected artists worldwide. Acclaimed by the San Francisco Examiner as

“impressive” and by composer John Adams as “unique,” Paranj blends Persian

rhythmic and melodic influences with Western texture and form in his composition. 

Recent commissions include works for ensembles such as Russian String Orchestra,

Intersection Contemporary Music Ensemble, Long Beach Opera, Aleron Trio, 

San Francisco New Music Ensemble, One Great City Duo, MSM symphony orchestra, and

internationall Low Brass Trio. He has written an original score for the movie “Dressage,”

the winner of the 2018 feature film (generation category) in the Berlin Film Festival

He has received formal recognition from the Mehr Humanitarian Society (2010) and

the City and County of San Francisco (2011). Paranj is a founder and artistic director 

of “du vert à l’infini” a contemporary music festival in the Franche Comte region in France