Ehsan Saboohi
Twenty-four by twenty-four No. 15c

Twenty-four by twenty-four

29 Jan 2023

Twenty-four by twenty-four No. 15c

for more information please visit: 
https://ashkanbehzadi.com

Contact: 
behzadi.ashkan@gmail.com

Ashkan Behzadi, a recipient of 2025 Ernst von Siemens Composer Prize and a 2021–2022 Guggenheim Fellow in Music Composition, is an Iranian-Canadian composer based in New York. He earned his DMA in composition at Columbia University, where he studied with Fred Lerdahl, George Lewis, and Georg Friedrich Haas. Prior to this, he graduated from McGill University with a bachelor’s degree in composition and music theory, studying composition with Chris Paul Harman and Brian Cherney. Ashkan also holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Tehran University, where, at the same time, he took composition and music theory lessons with Alireza Mashayekhi.
Ashkan’s music has been commissioned and performed by various international performers and ensembles, including Ensemble Recherche, TAK Ensemble, Oerknal Ensemble, Ensemble Mosaik, Yarn/Wire, JACK Quartet, Grossman Ensemble, Divertimento Ensemble, Ensemble Alternance, Ensemble UnitedBerlin, Exaudi, Ekmeles, Wet Ink, Talea Ensemble, and le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne (NEM). 
His work has also been recognized with awards, artist residencies, and participation in festivals such as the Koussevitzky Foundation, Fromm Foundation, New York State Council on the Arts, the Graham Sommer Second Prize, the Prix de Composition at Fontainebleau, the MacDowell Fellowship, the Civitella Ranieri Fellowship, the Divertimento Ensemble Composers Meeting, the Dialoge Festival at Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg, the Manifeste Festival at IRCAM, and the CIRMMT New Music Series.
For the 2019–2020 academic year, Ashkan Behzadi joined the Department of Music at the University of Chicago as a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Center for Contemporary Composition. Since september 2023, he teaches at the Manhattan School of Music as a faculty member in Music Composition.
The issue of genre identity or genre-blurring, along with the dialectical relationship between modernist lyric poetry and contemporary music, has formed the core of Ashkan’s aesthetic concerns in recent years. Structurally, his music demonstrates a great attention to detail, conveying a miniaturist and gentle lyrical landscape. By employing techniques of allusion and pastiche as the foundation of his craft, his music ultimately seeks to invoke the collective memory of folklore music.

Exploring Post-Orientalism: A Selection of Articles

Greetings to our esteemed audience,

As the year concludes, we are pleased to present a selection of articles that explore Post-Orientalism composers and their innovative concepts, providing important insights into the philosophy and aesthetics of this distinct movement.

We invite you to explore the following:

1. Discourse Block Omega: Reflections on Post-Orientalist Music
A thorough analysis of the theoretical foundations of Post-Orientalism.
www.academia.edu/102377968/Discourse_Block_Omega_Reflections_on_Postorientalist_Music


2. Found Sounds #1 – That Problem Called Genre
A discussion of the challenges posed by genre and its relevance to Post-Orientalism.
https://www.field-notes.berlin/en/magazine/found-sounds-1


3. Review & Article by African Paper Magazine
A critical review of Post-Orientalism from an international perspective.
www.africanpaper.com/tag/post-orientalism/


4. About Nik Masoo's Trilogy (Radif of Iranian Music by Nik Masoo, Volumes 1-3)
An exploration of Nik Masoo's approach to Iranian music.
www.academia.edu/123319136/About_Nik_Masoos_Trilogy_Radif_of_Iranian_Music_by_Nik_Masoo_Volumes_1_3_


5. About the Album: A Post-Orientalist Aesthetic Perspective
A look at the aesthetics that shape the Post-Orientalist soundscape.
www.academia.edu/124602011/About_the_Album_A_Post_Orientalist_Aesthetic_Perspective


6. Reflections on Music and Post-Orientalism
Reflections on the role of music within the framework of Post-Orientalism.
www.academia.edu/125909871/Reflections_on_Music_and_Post_Orientalism


7. Quark Mode
An examination of advanced compositional techniques and concepts in Post-Orientalism.
www.academia.edu/122898067/Quark_Mode_II_Booklet



We trust that these articles will contribute to your understanding of Post-Orientalism. We look forward to your feedback as we continue to explore new musical perspectives.

With respect,
The Post-Orientalism Label

