Behzad Ranjbaran

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Behzad Ranjbaran (born in 1955 Tehran) is an Iranian musician and composer.

Ranjbaran was born and raised in Iran. He entered the Tehran Conservatory at the age of 9. Ranjbaran continued his study of composition at Indiana University. He obtained a DMA from the Juilliard School.

Ranjbaran's music is strongly rooted in the Neo-Romantic movement of the late 20th Century, as well as showing the influence of Iranian and other non-Western musics. He has written compositions for, among others, Joshua Bell, Renée Fleming, and Yo-Yo Ma, as well as an upcoming piano concerto for Jean-Yves Thibaudet.

Many of his works are inspired by Persian culture and literature. Persian Trilogy, a large orchestral cycle completed in 2006, was inspired by the Shahnameh of the 11th Century Persian poet Ferdowsi. Although himself highly proficient in traditional Iranian music, his compositions stray only rarely from the highly chromatic language of Wagner and Mahler.

He currently teaches composition and theory at the Juilliard School.