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NOWRUZ CONCERT 

 

The Iranshahr Orchestra

Shahab Paranj, Maliheh Moradi, Cameron Shahbazi


The Iranshahr Orchestra
The Iranshahr Orchestra, the first Iranian orchestra established outside of Iran, is composed of some of the most gifted and highly accomplished musicians in Los Angeles, united by a shared commitment to championing composers, performers, and educators. With a primary mission to promote and preserve Iranian music, the orchestra annually commissions, performs, and premieres works by Iranian composers, nurturing a rich and ever-evolving musical legacy.

Distinguished by its cultural diversity, The Iranshahr Orchestra transcends the conventional Western classical format, integrating instruments from Iran and neighboring regions while establishing a unique aesthetic and organizational structure rooted beyond European traditions.

Since 2024, the orchestra has been the official resident ensemble of the Center for Iranian Music at UCLA, further solidifying its role as a leading force in the promotion of Iranian musical heritage.
Among its notable initiatives, Avāz-e Jān—an ongoing collaboration with esteemed Iranian musicians—stands as a testament to its commitment to innovation. The orchestra has also commissioned works from distinguished composers such as Richard Danielpour, Reza Vali, and Ian Krouse, further enriching its artistic repertoire.

In June 2024, The Iranshahr Orchestra released its debut album under the prestigious Naxos label. This landmark recording, nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Music at the International Classical Music Awards, features works by Richard Danielpour and showcases Grammy-winning soprano Hila Plitmann, conducted by Shahab Paranj.



Performers:

Violin I: Sheng-Ching Hsu, Enosh Kofler, Yiran Yao, Ally Cho, Mizuki Takagi

Violin II: Xenia Devatkina-Loh, Boryana Popova, Isabella Mija Reyes, Gabriel Esperon

Viola: Laila Zakzook, Evan Antes, Jonathan Burns, Emma Antonides 

Cello: Nial Taro, Jaewon Ahn , Mark Basset, Marshall Mcdan (Piano)

Bass: Nick Leonard, Chien Chieng Lee
French Horn: Michelle Yang
Harp: Alaina Rose 
Timpani: Robby Good
Persian Percussion: Aeen Meshkatian
Tar: Tara Pirayandeh 
Kamancheh: Naghmeh Sarang
 

PROGRAM
 

Ornament
Ahmad Pejman 
Soloists: Tara Pirayandeh and Naghmeh Sarang
 

Dance of Dayereh
Heshmat Sanjari
Soloist: Aeen Meshkatian


Swan Song
Richard Danielpour

Nowruz-e 62
Hossein Alizadeh
Arrangement: Amir Eslami
Soloist: Tara Piryanedeh

 

Lullaby
Singer: Cameron Shahbazi
 

Morgh-e Sahar
Morteza Neydavoud
Arrangement: Amir Eslami 
Singer: Maliheh Moradi
 

Avaz-e Nowruz
Shahab Paranj
Soloists: Sheng-Ching Hsu, Tigran Zakaryan and Aeen Meshkatian
Singer: Maliheh Moradi

 

INTERMISSION

Our Sorrow
Ehsan Matoori
Singer: Maliheh Moradi

Two Folk Songs
Reza Vali 
Singer: Cameron Shahbazi
 

Yadegar-e Doost
Kambiz Roshanravan
Singer: Maliheh Moradi
 

Babakaram
Kaveh Mirhosseini 
Singer: Cameron Shahbazi
 

Iran
Sohrab Pournazeri
Arrangement: Shahab Paranj 
Singer: Maliheh Moradi









 

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Rising countertenor Cameron Shahbazi, praised for his “full, voluminous” voice and “personal and beautiful” timbre (De Trouw), is celebrated for his acclaimed interpretations of both baroque and contemporary music. In 2023, he was awarded the prestigious Opus Klassik Award in the ‘Innovative Concert of the Year’ category for his brainchild entitled “Woman.Life.Freedom.”, a benefit concert at Oper Frankfurt produced in support of human rights in Iran.

The 2024-25 season marks numerous exciting projects for Cameron Shahbazi. The countertenor makes his much-anticipated house debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu Barcelona as Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare in a production by Calixto Bieto. With the Vancouver Opera, he makes his house and role debut as The Refugee in Jonathan Dove’s Flight. Building on the great success of George Benjamin’s new opera Picture a day like this staged by Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma, Shahbazi thrice presents the acclaimed interpretation: at the Opéra Comique in Paris, Opéra national du Rhin, and at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg. Together with pianist Sophia Muñoz, Cameron Shahbazi sings a recital of arias by Handel and Purcell, traditional tunes, and Iranian songs. The concert takes place under the auspices of Les Lundis Musicaux in Paris.

Highlights of Cameron Shahbazi’s recent seasons include his role and house debut of Hamor in Handel’s Jephta at the Royal Opera House in London. He sang the role of Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare in new productions at Glyndebourne Festival (David McVicar) and at Dutch National Opera (Calixto Bieto) in Amsterdam under the baton of Emmanuelle Haïm. Cameron Shahbazi made his company debut with the Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich as Anfinomo in Il ritorno/The Year of Magical Thinking, a new production of Monteverdi’s opera combined with text by renowned American writer Joan Didion. At Festival Aix-en-Provence, the countertenor was featured in the world premiere of Picture a Day Like This by George Benjamin. With this production he later made his house debut at the Linbury Theater in London, which was subsequently nominated for an Olivier Award. With short notice, Cameron Shahbazi jumped in as Tolomeo (Tolomeo, Re di Egitto) with the Basel Chamber Orchestra for two concerts at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona.

A sought-after concert performer, Shahbazi sang Carl Orff's Carmina Burana with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater with Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal in Versailles, and George Benjamin’s acclaimed Dream of the Song for countertenor and female chorus with the Gürzenich Orchestra in Cologne. Following the invitation to the Leipzig Bach Festival, the countertenor paid tribute to the genius composer in a grand open-air gala alongside Lang Lang, Daniel Hope, and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig. He returned to his native Canada to sing Handel’s Messiah at Toronto’s Koerner Hall, and with the Orchestre National de Lille he performed George Benjamin’s Written on Skin in concert under the baton of Alexandre Bloch. The countertenor presented solo recitals under the auspices of Oper Frankfurt with pianist Malcolm Martineau and at the Paris Sainte Chapelle Opera Festival with pianist Jeff Cohen.

Further highlights include his debut at Oper Frankfurt as Oberon in a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and his involvement at Internationale Handel-Festspiele Karlsruhe where he took on the title role in Tolomeo, re d’Egitto in a production by Benjamin Lazar. In 2021, Shahbazi gave his Russian debut as Tolomeo in Giulio Cesare with the Moscow Chamber Ensemble, conducted by Christopher Moulds. His portrayal of First Angel/Boy in George Benjamin's opera Written on Skin at Oper Köln under François-Xavier Roth earned the countertenor unanimous critical acclaim. Also in Cologne, the countertenor sang Guildenstern in a new production of composer Brett Dean's Hamlet under the baton of Duncan Ward. As an associate artist of the Dutch National Opera Studio in the 2019/20 season, he created the role of Sergey Diaghilev in Willem Jeth’s new opera Ritratto, which was one of The Guardian’s top picks of opera and classical concerts to watch during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Further performances include the role of Disinganno in Handel's Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno at Theater Aachen, and the title role in Cavalli’s Il Giasone for Opera NEO.

Cameron Shahbazi has received distinguished international honors such as the Sylva Gelber Award (2021), the Walter Prsytawski Prize (2021) and the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Foundation Award (2019). He was a finalist at the 2019 Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition, was awarded the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Prize at the 2018 International Belvedere Competition, Second Prize at Innsbruck’s Cesti Competition in 2018, and top prizes at the 2017 Opéra Avignon Jeunes Espoirs Competition.

Hamilton-born, Shahbazi is an alumnus of the University of Toronto and Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and a grateful recipient of grants from the Jacqueline Desmarais Foundation and Staetshuys Fonds.

Trained by three of the most eminent Persian vocalists, Mohammad-Reza Shajarian, Fatemeh Vaezi (Parisa) and Ali Asghar Shahzeidi, Maliheh Moradi has attracted attention as a rising star in Persian classical music. Born to a musical family in 1984, Maliheh began playing tonbak at the age of seven and started singing lessons with her father. She attended the Tehran Conservatory of Music, where she also learned setar.  She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Persian literature. Maliheh has received training in both vocal and instrumental music from renowned Persian musicians including Siamak Jahangiri, Hossein Alizadeh, Mozafar Shafiei, Hasan Pazouki, Mohammad Firouzi, Mohammad-Reza Ebrahimi and Masoud Shoari.  Maliheh has sung in the Mowlavi Opera (along with Homayoun Shajarian), Singing in Shadow (accompanied by Siamak Jahangiri) and Atash Sabz (film score composed by Mohammad-Reza Darvishi). She has performed at international music festivals in Australia, Spain, Germany and Poland.

Shahab Paranj
 

Winner of the 2024 Hoefer Prize, Shahab Paranj is a composer, conductor, instrumentalist, and educator. Born and raised in Iran, he holds degrees in music composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Manhattan School of Music, and the University of California, Los Angeles, where he studied composition with Richard Danielpour, David Garner, and Ian Krouse. He is recognized as a pioneering figure among his generation of Iranian composers, known for integrating Persian and Western compositional techniques.

 

Praised by the San Francisco Examiner as "extraordinary" and lauded by composer John Adams for his "unique voice," Paranj's music diverges from Eurocentric conventions, drawing inspiration from the rich traditions of Persian music.

 

His recent commissions include works for ensembles such as the Delirium Musicum, Russian String Orchestra, Intersection Contemporary Music Ensemble, Long Beach Opera, Jâca Duo, Aleron Trio, San Francisco New Music Ensemble, One Great City Duo, MSM Symphony Orchestra, and the International Low Brass Trio. His versatility also extends to film scoring, with his original score for Dressage earning recognition when it was nominated for the 2018 Berlin Film Festival's Generation category.
As a conductor, Paranj led The Iranshahr Orchestra in the recording of Songs of Love and Loss by Richard Danielpour, featuring the acclaimed soprano Hila Plitmann, released by Naxos in 2024.

 

A virtuoso tombak player, Paranj has performed, recorded, and collaborated with distinguished artists and ensembles, including the legendary Mohammad Reza Shajarian, the Tehran Symphony Orchestra, and the Pacific Symphony under the baton of Carl St. Clair. For over 15 years, he has been a dedicated collaborator with the celebrated Shams Ensemble. In addition to his mastery of Persian percussion, he was a member of the Iran National TV and Radio Symphony Orchestra as a cellist from 2003 to 2007.
 

As a scholar, Paranj's primary research explores the Iranian Avazi style. He has presented his work at prominent conferences, including the joint annual meeting of SEM, AMS, and SMT in 2022. His contributions have been formally recognized by the Association of Professors and Scholars of Iranian (2024), Mehr Humanitarian Society (2010) and the City and County of San Francisco (2011).

Since 2023, Paranj has served as a faculty member and the director of the Center for Iranian Music at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. He is also the founder and music director of The Iranshahr Orchestra and the artistic director of du vert à l’infini, a contemporary music festival in the Franche-Comté region of France.

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Tara Pirayandeh, born on September 21, 2002, in Isfahan, Iran, is a prodigious musician and scholar. Starting her musical journey at age five with xylophone, she quickly mastered the "Tombak" and then the "Tar," studying under luminaries such as Hossein Alizadeh and Shahram Mirjalali. A high school graduate by age 13, Tara is a member of Iran's National Elites Foundation and has been active in charitable causes, including supporting children with cancer. 

She earned a bachelor's degree in Computer Science at 17 and is currently studying Film Scoring and conducting at Berklee College of Music. 

Tara continues to bridge Persian and traditional music with global audiences through her innovative work.

Aeen Meshkatian, born November 22, 1991, in Tehran, is an accomplished

percussionist specializing in Tombak. He began his music studies under

the guidance of masters Jamshid Mohebbi, Behzad Mirzaei, and Navid

Afghah. He expanded his knowledge of Iranian classical music with

Santoor under the tutelage of Siamak Aghaei.

His first record was a duet in the album "Tamanna" alongside maestro

Parviz Meshkatian in 2005.

Throughout his career, he has collaborated with several prestigious

musical ensembles, including the Aref, Shamss, Siavash, and Tehran

Chamber Orchestra, contributing to notable albums such as “The Lords

of the Secrets", "Che Atash-ha", "Raindrops", and "My Iran."

For a decade, he has frequently accompanied the prominent vocalist

Homayoun Shajarian in numerous concerts worldwide. Some of his

significant performances include “Phoenix” by Parviz Meshkatian, "Jame

Gham", The Mirrors, "Nowruz" at UNESCO, and C-project.

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A firm believer in the power of music, Sheng-Ching Hsu created “S-C Sidewalk Performance”

where she brought weekly live music to the street corners of West LA during the pandemic.

“S-C Sidewalk Performance” brought comfort and hope to many people during the time of

isolation, and was featured on KTTV Fox 11 Los Angeles and EliteGen Magazine in

Toronto, Canada. Her story was also made into a documentary by “Aria’s Lens” in China.

 

A native of Taiwan, Sheng-Ching was six years old when she made her first public

appearance as both violinist and pianist at the National Cheng- Kung University, Taiwan. She

has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts,

Lincoln Center Stage on Holland America Line, Walt Disney Hall, Teatro Municipal de Santiago

(Chile), Remonstrantse Kerk in Alkmaar (The Netherlands), Théâtre de l’Île- Saint-

Louis (Paris), and National Recital Hall (Taiwan), among others.

 

Sheng-Ching plays with Delirium Musicum, Concerts for Hope, New Asia Chamber Music

Society, as well as Concerts on the Slope, in which many of her performances were featured

on WWFM Classical, NY. She is a member of California Symphony and New West

Symphony, and serves as guest principal 2nd violin of St. Matthew's Chamber Orchestra, as

well as Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra. Sheng-Ching has given solo recitals in Europe,

North America, South America and Asia, and has performed with Ensemble 212 and Old

York Road Symphony as a soloist. Sheng-Ching enjoys discovering new techniques and sound

that she has worked with many living composers, including recent recording of two works by

Robert Sirota for commercial release. Her interest in the impact of music on motion picture led

Sheng-Ching to perform in the debut of “BBC Frozen Planet Live,” scored by award-

winning composer George Fenton.

 

Sheng-Ching serves as a faculty at California State University - Long Beach, as well as

Colburn Community School of Performing Arts. Sheng-Ching is also a sought-after music

arranger. Her latest commissions include the National Anthem for the New York Knicks’

Lunar New Year Game in Madison Square Garden. She arranges a wide variety of music,

and has worked with ensembles such as the New Asia Chamber Music Society, the Amphion

String Quartet, the Lincoln Center Stage Quintet and the Manhattan Symphonie Orchestra. In

addition, her arrangements have been performed at New York Fashion Week, Times Square

Flash Mob, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

 

Sheng-Ching earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from SUNY Stony Brook University,

Master of Music from The Juilliard School, and Bachelor of Music from the Mannes School

of Music. Her major teachers include Catherine Cho, Christina Khimm, Itzhak Perlman,

Aaron Rosand, Philip Setzer and Arnaud Sussmann. Sheng-Ching’s instruments were generously sponsored by

CHIMEI foundation in Taiwan throughout her studies.

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