Soosan Lolavar
Organised by
Iran Heritage Foundation
Date
Wednesday 12th September, 18.30
Venue
Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP
Description
This talk explores a new movement in contemporary classical composition in Iran whose members combine elements of the microtonal, improvisation-based systems of Iranian classical, religious and folk music, with instruments, structures and ideas from Western classical music. Within this musical movement, questions of authenticity, ownership, identity and ‘Iranian-ness’ are explored, often against the backdrop of monolithic and opposing constructions of East and West. As such, this talk will interrogate global, regional and diaspora Iranian identities as they are expressed through a new musical movement with hybridisation and trans-culturalism at its core.
Biography
Soosan Lolavar is a British-Iranian composer and ethnomusicologist whose music has been performed across the UK, as well as in the USA, Canada, Iran, UAE, Japan, Chile and Australia. Her academic work considers contemporary composition practices in Iran, discourses of authenticity and dichotomies of East/West in post-colonial contexts.
She holds degrees in Social and Political Sciences (University of Cambridge), Musicology (University of Oxford), Composition (Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance), and an Advanced Music Certificate (Carnegie Mellon University). She is currently pursuing a PhD in music focusing on contemporary composition in Iran (City, University of London) and is a composition tutor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
Iran Heritage Foundation
Date
Wednesday 12th September, 18.30
Venue
Asia House, 63 New Cavendish Street, London W1G 7LP
Description
This talk explores a new movement in contemporary classical composition in Iran whose members combine elements of the microtonal, improvisation-based systems of Iranian classical, religious and folk music, with instruments, structures and ideas from Western classical music. Within this musical movement, questions of authenticity, ownership, identity and ‘Iranian-ness’ are explored, often against the backdrop of monolithic and opposing constructions of East and West. As such, this talk will interrogate global, regional and diaspora Iranian identities as they are expressed through a new musical movement with hybridisation and trans-culturalism at its core.
Biography
Soosan Lolavar is a British-Iranian composer and ethnomusicologist whose music has been performed across the UK, as well as in the USA, Canada, Iran, UAE, Japan, Chile and Australia. Her academic work considers contemporary composition practices in Iran, discourses of authenticity and dichotomies of East/West in post-colonial contexts.
She holds degrees in Social and Political Sciences (University of Cambridge), Musicology (University of Oxford), Composition (Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance), and an Advanced Music Certificate (Carnegie Mellon University). She is currently pursuing a PhD in music focusing on contemporary composition in Iran (City, University of London) and is a composition tutor at Trinity Laban Conservatoire.
