Bio
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Iranian-born composer of acoustic and electronic music based in San Diego, Jahandari's works have been performed and recorded in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and he has received awards including first prizes at 2Agosto and Pejman competitions for his orchestral and chamber music. Commissioning includes from the Grammy nominee ensemble, PubliQuartet.
Jahandari's music has been selected and performed at numerous festivals including ISCM World Music Days in Estonia, World Saxophone Congress in Croatia, South by Southwest, SEAMUS, International Saxophone Symposium, SPLICE, Electroacoustic Barn Dance, EMS60, ElectroAcousticMiniFest, Midwest Composers Symposium, West Fork New Music, EE+F, Fusebox, Sound In Sculpture, LaTex, EARS and many more.
Currently a Ph.D. candidate in Composition at University of California San Diego, Jahandari holds degrees in Composition from the University of Texas at Austin (M.M.), where he served as a Teaching Assistant in Digital Music, as well as Tehran University of Art (B.M.). His portfolio includes works for electronic media, mixed chamber ensembles, symphonic orchestra, wind ensemble, choir, and solo instruments. 
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When I was 22, my orchestral piece, The Checkered City, won the first prize at the 21st edition of 2Agosto international Composition Competition in Italy, where scores were submitted anonymously, there was no age limit and over 50 scores was received. I was considered the youngest composer that wins this prestigious award, and my work was performed and recorded in collaboration with the RAI, which broadcasted the concert both by radio and TV. I was invited for residency by Virginio Merola, mayor of Bologna, and my travel included interview with la Repubblica newspaper. I composed The Vulture in 2016. It was selected from over 100 submissions, comprising six works as the official Texas submission to the organizers in Estonia for the 96th annual anniversary of ISCM World Music Days, the oldest music festival devoted to contemporary music. Estonian Composers’ Union then received over 500 of the selected submissions internationally, of which 99 works were finally programmed for performance, the two evaluations anonymously, The Vulture being among the seven representative works from the United States. |
The process of composition for me to a great extent is intuitive. It is often the case that a musical statement more or less pops into my head, catches my attention, and tends to proceed through with my aesthetic choices. As I perceive the possibilities, I then evaluate its existential necessity for the moment, whether or not to commit to bringing it to life or record it for likely a later time application. As I engage in completing a work often with an eclectic perspective, my major guidance is the music itself. I find myself having the role of a medium, and certainly, there are indecisive moments in directing the sounds as the piece evolves and/or other details such as instrumental/technical related matters. My creative process also derives from improvisations on the violin or piano. At times, the music that flows within me is a reflection of my interaction with people, situations, and/or places that I am living in. Moreover, I have works representing my outlook on a wider scope, primarily sociopolitical and environmental issues, as well as epic pieces that through different topics mainly depict the dichotomy of good and evil, or yin and yang, the interconnected contrary forces. Sometimes I know the title right away from the very beginning, or I need to inquire what the music is drawing my attention to. | ||