Last Day of Festival

Workshop – Concert  

13 September 2025

Events
Alice Belugou - Workshop

Harp - Extended Techniques

12:30 - 14:00 | Tehran Time
Concert

RKC 2025

19:00 - 20:00 | Tehran Time

TIEMF Student

Concert

Curated by TIEMF

20:15 - 21:15 | Tehran Time

Events

Biography

Alice Belugou is a french and swiss harpist. She finished her studies in the CNSM in Paris specialising in new music, after graduating with master degrees from the music High Schools in Lausanne and Basel. In 2017, she received the Fritz Gerber Award, in 2018 the 2nd prize of the International dutch harp festival competition. In 2020, she was sponsored by the Fondation Meyer to record her first solo CD. She has participated in various music festivals as soloist and with ensembles or orchestras such as the Lucerne Festival, Darmstadt Summer Courses, Archipel, New Directions, Zeiträume, Manifeste, Kontakte, among others.
Website

Workshop

Harp- Extended Techniques

Program Note

In this workshop, I intend to briefly present the modern harp, its mechanisms, and the specifics of traditional notation for the instrument. Next, I will explore the main areas of extended techniques and their notations, supported by musical works written since the 1960s. Finally, I will discuss some representative pieces composed for harp and electronics over the past few decades.

The Language of this workshop is English and will be held online in Google Meet.

For free registration please contact via:  +989377867630 in Telegram, or Instagram direct.

Google Meet

Concert 7

Location: Music Museum
RKC 2025 & TIEMF Student

RKC 2025

Biography

Master's student in Composition at the University of Tehran Primary instrument: Piano Studied music fundamentals, harmony, counterpoint, composition, and orchestration under professors such as Reza Mortezavi, Hossein Ghanbari, Amin Honarmand, and Karan Keyhani.

Program Note

Akhar-e Shahnameh”, is an electroacoustic fixed media composition based on the poem of the same name by Mehdi Akhavan-Sales. In the poem’s final couplet, the poet expresses deep sorrow and despair, declaring that darkness and obscurity shall remain forever. This line is recited throughout the piece in the voices of both the poet and the composer.
In contrast to this sense of darkness, the piece incorporates the spiritual modal traditions of Bad-Gheisi and Allah, both rooted in the sacred musical practices of the Khorasan region.
Apart from the recitation of the poem, the only instrumental sound featured in the piece is the Tar.

Program Note

In this piece, the Tar is approached in two distinct ways: on one hand, as a tool for producing new timbres. On the other, as a cultural reference to a specific repertoire. The radio, which itself carries these references, becomes the space where these two approaches interact. Inspired by musique concrète, the sound of the radio also becomes a subject of composition. Palimpsest is a metaphor for building something new upon the ruins of the old, just as nostalgic sounds of Tar and radio become material for a new sonic world.

Biography

Taha Hasanlou is an Iranian composer based in Tehran. He was born in 2001 in Zanjan. Taha started his musical activities with playing Tar since 2015. He has been started his bachelor studies as Persian Music Performance in University of Tehran since 2020 and philosophy as his minor since 2022. His compositional activities commenced by Alireza Mashayekhi and later worked with Mohammad H. Javaheri. Taha's music includes some acoustic and electroacoustic pieces. Meanwhile, he started learning music programming and sensor usage with Sohrab Motabar.

Biography

Alireza Seyedi was born in 2001 and belongs to the new generation of contemporary music in Iran. Traces of traditional music and the music of the regions of Iran that have been dissolved in the context of contemporary music can be traced in his works. This presence is sometimes clear and tangible and sometimes abstract and deeper. His work has been featured at various festivals like Ensemble Musikfabrik Academy, Horizon Etendu Academy, Spectro New Music Center Competition, Projecto DME, Radiophrenia Glasgow, Nimfa, Tiemf, Simec, Contemporary Music Laboratory at the European University Cyprus etc
Website

Program Note

Micro[B]iome portrays a sonic ecosystem inspired by a three-day illness—an auditory fever dream. The piece explores the microbiome, where microbes, viruses, and bacteria invade like a silent army. The tār becomes a living entity under siege, battling microscopic forces through unstable pulses, fragmented melodies, and stuttering murmurs. Granular synthesis mimics cells in distress as an invisible virus spreads, dissolving structure into chaos. The tār gradually loses its identity, merging with the infection. Resistance fades, boundaries vanish, and the piece collapses into an abyss of silence—an unsettling void of annihilation.

Program Note

A cocoon weaves itself in the depths of time’s shadows, nurturing a silent yet restless flow within. Something slowly awakens—still unseen—nestled within the curvature of time. Transformations unfold without a trace until an unknown moment breaks through hidden boundaries. This movement wavers between the familiar and the mysterious, ever-changing and unbound by pause. Suddenly, it unfolds—an invitation to sense the unknown, not with sight, but with perception. A never-ending cycle, a journey that forever continues at the threshold of its own beginning.

Biography

Music has always been about creating a new space for me. From childhood, I became familiar with ethnic and southern instruments, and this passion led me to pursue music academically. However, not just for performance—I delved into ethnomusicology, discovering new dimensions of music every day. Later, I turned to electronic music to shape the influences I had absorbed from musical traditions into a fresh and personal form. My goal is to create a connection between cultural roots and sonic expression

Biography

Born in July 2004, Iliya Shahbazi began learning music at the age of 16 with the guitar and began composing at the age of 18. He continued his composing activities with kiawasch sahebnasagh and currently benefits from his teachings. Currently he continues to pursue his path as an electronic composer with sohrab motabar. -Participated in Simina Oprescu’s Artist talk

Program Note

This piece is composed for four separate channels (quadrophonic), with the speaker arrangement as follows, according to the numbering of each mono file: Speaker 1 (front, left), Speaker 2 (front, right), Speaker 3 (back, left), and Speaker 4 (back, right). It employs a single synthesis technique, but on a large scale. The spectrum of synthesized sound samples, taken from the tar instrument, ranges from sounds that are close and recognizable to the natural tone of the instrument to those that have moved far from the so-called “original sound” through numerous synthesis processes and redesigns of the samples.

Program Note

‘The Cycle of Lies’ is a piece that traps your mind in a circle that doesn’t end. The music keeps repeating in the same pattern, putting listeners in a daze until they hear everything it has to offer. The electronic part was made using Csound for a 4-channel live performance with two techniques: granular synthesis and delay feedback. The notation has free timing, so it depends on the player. Since the theorbo wasn’t available, VST sounds are being used instead of recordings. It is hoped that recording will happen later.

Biography

Parham Izadyar is an Iranian composer whose works bridge traditional Persian music with contemporary and electronic music. Born in Karaj, Iran in 1993, he began his musical journey with piano studies in 2009. After entering the Art University of Tehran in 2012, he expanded his focus to contemporary composition. And embracing electronic music since 2016. His distinctive approach combines intuitive creativity with logical precision, drawing inspiration from Iranian music. Through his works, he creates a bridge between cultures and generations, carrying timeless traditions into the present day.
Website

Biography

Sajjad Khodaverdi (born 1989, Tehran) holds a bachelor's in electronics and a master's in executive management from Iran. He is now pursuing a master's in electrical engineering in France. He began music in 2004 with Setar and later learning music theory, Tanbur, and Robab with Mehdi Jalali. He studied solfège and ensemble performance with Hamed Zand Karimkhani and explored contemporary music in workshops with Jalali, Shahrokh Khajenouri, Susanne Zapf, Ulrike Brand, and Matthias Bauer. Since 2005, he has worked with Yarava as a musician, executive manager, and planning manager. He continues learning composition with Jalali.

Program Note

This work is based on a piece by Hossein Alizadeh, written for tar and fixed media. It bridges the present and the past, abstractly recalling the musical path he has traveled.

Program Note

 

The piece Floating Whispers, Where the Night Hides is composed for fixed media and the theorbo, in a two-channel (stereo) format. It is created using CsoundQt and Audacity and is based on the processed and transformed recordings of the theorbo and soprano voice. The duration of the piece is twelve minutes.
In terms of harmonic structure, the work draws inspiration from Renaissance-era compositions. The performer’s role in this piece is to improvise based on their perception of the atmospheric space, texture, and harmony of the fixed media, while carefully following the instructions and performance notes provided in the score.

Biography

Negar Zolfaghar is an Iranian composer and vocalist with a bachelor's and master's degree in composition from Tehran University of Art, with final projects Cantata for vocal and Orchestra and a piece for ensemble and video art. During her studies, she worked with notable professors, including Arsalan Abedian, Madjid Tahriri, Bahar Royaee, Karen Keyhani, Arshia Samsaminia. In 2024, Negar won first place in the "Reza Korourian Award" for her electroacoustic composition, based on the Ney and vocal elements. She also earned second place in the vocal ensemble category at the 2017 "Yerevan Komitas Conservatory's International Festival".

TIEMF Student

Biography

Ali Balighi, a composer, sound designer, and sound engineer, was born in Tehran, Iran. He graduated from The University of Art in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance. A passion for composition led him to pursue a Master’s degree in Composition at Texas Tech University, where he is currently a student for a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition. A number of research and teaching interests align with Balighi’s academic pursuits, which include music technology, open-source software, contemporary music analysis, and music theory. His teaching experience includes positions as a sound engineer, music recording assistant, composition and music theory teacher, and positions as a cello instructor in various Iranian music institutions.
Website

Program Note

Program Note

An audio exploration into the heart of the 15 Khordad Bazaar, where the daily rhythm shapes the embrace of sound and memory. Sonic textures recorded from the alleys, murmurs, clamor, and the echoes of goods, tell a story woven with electronic music, field recording, and sound design. A work that blurs the line between documentary and imagination, taking the listener on a sonic journey through urban life. A combination of reality and recreation, which turns every sound into a sign of presence, passage, memory, and living; a sonic embodiment of everyday aesthetics.

Biography

Music has always been about creating a new space for me. From childhood, I became familiar with ethnic and southern instruments, and this passion led me to pursue music academically. However, not just for performance—I delved into ethnomusicology, discovering new dimensions of music every day. Later, I turned to electronic music to shape the influences I had absorbed from musical traditions into a fresh and personal form. My goal is to create a connection between cultural roots and sonic expression

Biography

Alireza Samadi, born in 2004, began his artistic career in his youth by playing the piano. In 2024, he seriously started learning composition under the supervision of Kiawasch Sahebnassagh. Concurrently, he expanded his work in the field of electronic music and the software Max/MSP with Sohrab Motabar.

Program Note

Written for sine wave and stereo glockenspiel, the piece uses techniques such as delay feedback, attack removal, and reverse. The sound of the glockenspiel is computer-processed with delay feedback, creating changes in speed and timing. Additionally, by removing the glockenspiel’s attack and using the reverse technique, its sound transforms into an open and non-linear sonic experience that merges with the sine wave. This interaction between acoustic and electronic sounds, with their overlapping textures, creates an interesting sonic fabric where gradual changes are heard.

Concert 8

Curated by TIEMF

Biography

Patrick K.-H. aka Anton Iakhontov (Vienna / St.Petersburg) sound artist / video artist / composer, works with sound installations, live and written acousmatic, graphical collage and animation. Researches interactive / cross-disciplinary forms, permutating the media, aiming on achieving unexpected mutants. Member of many international collaborations. Author of music / video to drama / contemporary dance / post-dramatic theatre plays and performances as well as his own works in Russia, Austria, Germany and USA. Art-director of Media Studio in Alexandrinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg. Founder and co-curator of the Floating Sound Gallery for spatial sound, organiser and curator of festivals and educational programs.

Program Note

“Concrète choirs” is the title of the series I started a bit more than 20 years ago. At that time, I was a student at the Theremin Center in Moscow Conservatory, taking my first steps in learning what “musique concrète” is. It was very fascinating—on one hand. On the other hand, as a regular user of the ubu.com resource, I was very much into the movement known as “concrete poetry,” or “sound poetry.” And that was something really strange for me—and still is—that these two genres, although obviously developing the same concept of “working in the material” (and not in the abstraction of the sound material), never meet. Besides, sound poetry is mainly live, while musique concrète is more about tape music. So I decided, why don’t I just do it? Why don’t I arrange their meeting?”

— Introduction speech at the “ACOUSMONIUM Ondes Croisées Europe,” 15.05.2025, echoraum, Vienna.

Program Note

ChatGPT said:

The Birdsong project started in 2002, inspired by the opportunity to compose 8-channel electronic music for a performance in a public park. Based on recordings of birdsong, the basic operation includes three phases. First, birdsong is dissolved away from its context and background and becomes subject to acoustical and musical analysis. Then it is transformed and recomposed according to complex musical criteria. Finally, the resulting singings are released back to nature. Single birdcalls are turned into elements of a polyphonic composition by their selection and alignment to certain rhythmic and tonal specifications.
After two very long pieces composed in 2002 and 2005, the third approach to the described sound material is planned to return to a more compact form, also consisting of dense harmonic textures. Here, the tonal network is constantly altered by just intonation of the intervallic progressions.

Biography

Composer, artistic researcher and software developer. Studies in composition and music research at the Institute for Sonology, The Hague and the University of Cologne. Studies in algorithmic composition with Clarence Barlow. Research assistant at IMWI, University of Music Karlsruhe. Associate lecturer at the Humboldt University Berlin. Guest lecturer at various universities and institutes in Germany, USA and Korea. Board member of the Initiative Musik und Informatik Köln – GIMIK e.V.

Biography

Klarenz Barlow (1945 - 2023) was born in 1945. He began composing in 1957. From 1961 to 1965, he studied natural sciences at the University of Calcutta. From 1965 to 1968, he was a concert pianist, and from 1967 to 1968, he was a conductor. From 1968 to 1973, he studied composition at the Cologne University of Music with B.A. Zimmermann, K. Stockhausen, and others. In 1971/72, he studied sonology at the University of Utrecht. He began teaching in 1982, including at the Darmstadt Summer Courses. From 1984, he taught computer music at the Cologne University of Music and held several positions at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague starting in 1990. From 2006 to 2019, he was the Corwin Professor and head of the composition department at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Barlow began composing with computers in 1971 and developed complex software for algorithmic composition and music analysis. He created approximately 70 instrumental and vocal works and approximately 35 electronic, electroacoustic, and multimedia works. His artistic work is accompanied by numerous text and book publications, both as an author and editor. Barlow was, among other things, a member of the Kölner Feedback Studio Verlag and a co-founder of the Initiative Musik und Informatik Köln – GIMIK e.V.

Program Note

 

Sinophonie I (1969–70)

This four-channel, twelve-minute tape piece is Klarenz Barlow’s first electronic composition. The sounds were generated based on sine waves. Sinophonie II, a 30-minute composition completed in 1972, was created simultaneously using similar processes.

Program Note

voir (remix) is a re-working of the sound files used in my 2021 work voir dans le secret. That work involved three musicians playing Jean-François Laporte’s Totem Électrique instruments (membranes and tubes driven by compressed air) along with electric guitar, bass clarinet, and percussion. The sound files are derived from processed samples of the Totem Électrique instruments along with speech recordings made by each of the six musicians. The text for these was taken from Derrida’s Donner La Mort, which begins with the question, “Voir dans le secret. Qu’est-ce que cela peut vouloir dire?”
Though a philosophical work, Donner la Mort is also poetic in both its content and means of expression. It speaks to perception via various senses, and in particular of the penetration of open secrets by paying attention not to what is before one’s eyes but rather to what one can hear.

Biography

I'm a composer, improvisor, software developer, and since 2017 Professor of Electronic Composition at ICEM, Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen, Germany. I'm the programmer of the slippery chicken algorithmic composition package. My compositional interests lie mainly in the development of structures for hybrid electro-instrumental pieces through the integration of algorithmically produced scored materials with similarly generated computer-processed sound. I also improvise on laptop, saxophones, and MIDI wind controller, performing for instance at the 2008 Montreaux Jazz Festival. My compositions have been played worldwide at many international festivals, including the Darmstadt Ferienkurse, the International Computer Music Conference (Banff, Havana, Ljubljana), the Zagreb Biennale, the Seoul International Computer Music Festival, etc., and by leading ensembles/performers such as Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Aventure, Ensemble Intercontemporain, IRCAM, Experimentalstudio Freiburg, Marcus Weiss, Sarah Nicolls, Rei Nakamura, and Garth Knox.
Website

Biography

Malte Giesen studied composition / computer music at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart with Marco Stroppa and Oliver Schneller, followed by further studies at the CNSM Paris with Gérard Pesson, at the HfM Berlin with Hanspeter Kyburz and electroacoustic music with Wolfgang Heiniger. Since 2021 he is Head of Studio for Electroacoustic Music at the Akademie der Kuenste Berlin. His works are being performed in Germany and abroad.
Website

Program Note

Upcycling
electroacoustic version (2025)

Various instruments, from the periphery of everyday life—analog and digital, some with a rich history, and yet ready-mades, objets trouvés. Some used, some from cheap production. As sound generators, they are played and interpreted anew. The cheap violin, the beginner’s trombone, the 1980s children’s keyboard. They are available at the lowest prices, experiencing devaluation as decorative and lifestyle objects, but they also offer the possibility of reinterpretation. Stripped of their exclusive aura, they allow a playful, unburdened access to their possibilities—as modifiable “material” in the truest sense of the word.

The instruments are explored anew in their sonic properties: vibrating string systems, sound waves in conical bodies, battery-operated, electromagnetic as well as mechanical exciters, puristic 8-bit sounds—intertwined, merged, connected in digital data and sound masses. These center around the concept of trash (“a cultural product with low intellectual value, where the aspect of mindlessness is enjoyed”) and its extremely difficult definition (“What one viewer sees as kitsch, as the pinnacle of bad taste and mindlessness, holds deep artistic value for another”) and the attempt to recycle not only material but also artistic and aesthetic waste. Upcycling.

 

Program Note

“Daramad” is the opening in Persian music. For me, it means composing a piece that ushers in a new experience. This is my first work for tar and fixed media, and discovering fresh perspectives on these instruments is deeply important to me. Although the tar holds a powerful place in Persian classical music, few contemporary composers have written for it. In this piece, I set out to uncover techniques on the tar that have remained hidden.

Biography

Ali Balighi, a composer, sound designer, and sound engineer, was born in Tehran, Iran. He graduated from The University of Art in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Music Performance. A passion for composition led him to pursue a Master’s degree in Composition at Texas Tech University, where he is currently a student for a Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) in Composition. A number of research and teaching interests align with Balighi’s academic pursuits, which include music technology, open-source software, contemporary music analysis, and music theory. His teaching experience includes positions as a sound engineer, music recording assistant, composition and music theory teacher, and positions as a cello instructor in various Iranian music institutions.
Website