Roozbeh Tabandeh - Soundscapes in the Mist (2022)

Roozbeh Tabandeh is an Iranian Canadian composer, born in Shiraz and now living in Montreal. Having a Master’s degree in architecture, he is also known as an interdisciplinary artist, conductor, violinist and Iranian Santur player. He studied music composition at Concordia University under the supervision of Sandeep Bhagwati and Georges Dimitrov. At the same time, he extended his violin technique with Clemens Merkel. Before moving to Canada, he studied music composition and performance with some of the best-known Iranian musicians including Hossein Dehlavi, Kambiz Roshan Ravan, Arsalan Kamkar, Shojaeldin Lashkarloo, Masud Gharib Zadeh, and Masih Mosallai. He has also participated in conducting masterclasses held by Manuchehr Sahbai (former conductor of the Tehran symphony orchestra). In March 2019 he received the Frederick Lowy Scholars Fellowship to conduct his Ph.D. research-creation project on the subject of interrelations between music and architecture, and the notion of space in Iranian auditory culture under the supervision of Professor Sandeep Bhagwati at Concordia University, in Montreal.

Tabandeh established “Hengam Orchestra” in Shiraz, Iran which was active for nearly ten years, conducting the orchestra from 2002 to 2011. Later, he founded the “Hengam String Quartet” in which he played the first violin for numerous performances and concert tours presenting western classical repertoire as well as Iranian art music. He has been the artistic director of many concerts and stage works in both Canada and Iran.

His compositional style is a blending of Western Eurological art music with several elements of Iranian national music as he brings the experience of several musical cultures and artistic disciplines to his work as a composer and instrumentalist. His music has deep roots in both worlds and combines his extensive experience in Western music theory with that of the traditional Iranian. He is now exploring solutions to the challenges and issues of composing in a globalized culture.

Tabandeh’s compositions are performed and recorded by a number of ensembles around the world including the Orchestre Métropolitain under the direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Quatuor Bozzini, Ensemble Arkea under the baton of Dina Gilbert, Orchestre Symphonique de l’Isle with Cristian Gort as the conductor, and the Iran String Orchestra under the direction of Manuchehr Sahbai as well as many other works that he conducted himself.