Nazanin Aghakhani

Nazanin Aghakhani (born April 22, 1980 in Vienna, Austria)[1] is a pianist, orchestra conductor, and composer. In 2010 she was nominated Musical Director of the Academic Symphony Orchestra Munich (Akademisches Sinfonieorchester München).[2][3][4]

Born to a family of Persian ancestry, Aghakhani took piano lessons since the age of seven.[4] From the age of twelve, she studied the classical piano at the Vienna Conservatory with teachers Karl Barth and Meira Farkas. At the same time she studied counterpoint and conducting with Thomas Christian David and continued these studies first at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna with Erwin Acel and Leopold Hager, then at Kungliga Musikhögskolan in Stockholm with Jorma Panula. In Stockholm, Nazanin Aghakhani started composing electro-acoustic music, instructed by Bill Brunson and Fredrik Hedelin. In 2008 Aghakhani finished her Master of Arts degree at the Sibelius Academy, where she studied conducting with Leif Segerstam.[2][5]

Aghakhani has conducted Finnish, Austrian and Swedish orchestras and ensembles. She has tutored Swedish youth orchestras and performed her own compositions throughout Europe. She made her début as a conductor at the Musica Nova Festival in 2007, an annual contemporary music event in Helsinki where she was invited again in 2008 and 2009.[2]

In 2008, Aghakhani premiered compositions by young European composers at Wien Modern, the Vienna Festival for contemporary music, was a member of the jury at the Ung Nordisk Musik Festival for young Scandinavian composers[2] and acted as assistant conductor for Mozart's Don Giovanni at the Salzburg Festival in Austria.

In 2010, Aghakhani became the first female conductor in history to perform in Iran, conducting the Tehran Symphony Orchestra.[6]

In addition to conducting and raising her children, Aghakhani has continued to perform as a conductor and as a pianist and recorded several albums of her own compositions, sponsored by Austrian piano maker Bösendorfer. She lives in Austria with her husband, writer and lawyer Friedrich Schwarzinger.[2]

References

  1. ↑ Nazanin Aghakhani, Klassinen.fi
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Life, Nazanin Agakhani, retrieved Nov. 2, 2013
  3. ↑ Nazanin Aghakani, Akademisches Sinfonieorchester München e.V.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Peter Schelling: ”Es gibt keinen besseren Platz”, Die Dirigentin Nazanin Aghakhani über ihrer Arbeit an der Lortzing-Oper ”Zar und Zimmermann”, Süddeutsche Zeitung, July 19, 2012
  5. ↑ Barbara Doll: Musik als Natur, Nazanin Aghakhani dirigiert Leif Segerstams 224. Symphonie, Süddeutsche Zeitung, April 4, 2011, page R13
  6. ↑ Iranian of the Day: Nazanin Aghakhani, Iranian.com

External links