Musical Imagination and Artistic Responsibility with Mahdis Golzar Kashani

Author

Tyler Kline
October 19, 2024

On today's episode of music/Maker with Tyler Kline, Tyler is joined by Mahdis Golzar Kashani.

Born in Tehran in 1984, Mahdis Golzar Kashani is an internationally acclaimed Iranian composer and pianist whose work has earned her recognition across prestigious stages and institutions worldwide. She began studying piano at the age of six under the guidance of renowned musician Javad Maroufi and Art and Literature School of IRIB, and gave her first solo concert at 14 at Seda va Sima University. Although she initially pursued a degree in electronic engineering at Azad University, her deep-rooted passion for music led her to switch paths and obtain an M.A. in composition from Sooreh Art University.

Over the years, Mahdis has performed at prominent festivals and venues globally, including the Classical to Contemporary Music Festival in Tehran, the 4020 Music Festival in Austria, and piano recitals at Niyavaran Hall. She has also collaborated with the chorus of Vahdat Concert Hall at Roudaki Hall and participated in international composition workshops such as the Heidelberg Festival in Germany and the Oxford Song Festival in the UK. Her work has been commissioned by prestigious institutions like the Campus Lemmens Instituut LUCA in Belgium, further cementing her place in the global classical music community, Hermes Ensemble, Hypercube Ensemble, Sitkovetsky Trio, Haft Craft Ensemble, Woodwork Reed Quintet, and Babylone Orchestra. 

In this discussion, Mahdis talks about her journey as a composer, which led her from her native Iran to living and working in Europe. She also tells this powerful story about what led her to decide on being a composer as a career, and shares an in-depth background of challenges she has faced being from Iran and how that has influenced her life and artistic trajectory.

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