Estonian-based composer and conductor, Arash has studied at, among others, The Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Hochschule für Musik Basel, University of Huddersfield and Estonian Academy of Muisc and Theatre; and has earned degrees in piano, double bass, orchestral conducting and composition specialties.
A former research residency fellow at Institut für Elektronische Musik und Akustik- IEM Graz, he was the 2020 recipient of the Jonathan Harvey Scholarship and a teaching assistant at the University of Huddersfield, England from 2020-2023. Yazdaniís music is characterized by his application of acoustic and psycho-acoustic phenomena on the fabric of music and his creation of unique auditory experiences with the use of instruments.
Yazdani is the artistic director of Sound Plasma, a music festival for alternative intonations in Berlin and Tallinn, and the artistic director and conductor of the Ensemble for New Music Tallinn. As the founder and artistic director of Ensemble New Music Tallinn, Yazdani receives the Ensemble Prize of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation in 2026.
Questions and Answers
FACTS
1: Genocide is bad and this should not be subject of debate.
2: From the Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services…”
11 QUESTIONS
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Acoustics and Psychoacoustics. Interactions of the sound, and the musical memories of childhood
2. How and when did you get into making music?
Quite late and quite difficult, probably around the age of 15-16. Nobody in my family ever had been musician but I found I really must make music; in our country for studying music professionally you enrol in conservatory and donít attend any other schools. It was quite late for me (had already passed first year of high school) and should have been impossible to enter conservatory, I started learning notation and piano at the beginning of summer and by the end of summer I played a Beethoven sonata and a Bach invention and passed the entrance exam and somehow eventually I convinced the authorities to accept me from 2nd year of high school.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time? (yes we know it is difficult).
The Wall ñ Pink Floyd
Animals ñ Pink Floyd
Bach violin partitas.
Wagnerís Tristan und Isolde
Beethovenís 5th & 7th
And a lot of Persian pop music (albums by Moein or Mahasti all those composed by Sadegh Nojuki) and folklore/maqam music that doesnít fit into concept of ìalbumî
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
Phoenix. A broken spirit gathering its pieces from the ashes and building something like a totally new patchwork, where everyone and everything was welcome.
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
Khaju bridge by the Zayandeh-Rud river, in Isfahan (alas I havenít been able to visit for 10 years)
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
There can never be no music. There could have been to have no professional musician or composer, but music is essential part of our existence. If I would to chose a different profession I would liked writing.
7. What was the last record/music you bought or listen?
Segah dastgah from ìVocal Radif of Persian Classical Music according to Mahmud Karimiî
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Enno Poppe
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
Performing with my Ensemble for New Music Tallinn, in our mini festival Sound Plasma Berlin, doing 2 different programs back-to-back!
10. How important is technology to your creative process?
Not very. Technology is only a tool for a specific mean. If I have use for it, I use it; It is possible to use any means or medium to create strong musical artworks, technology included, nothing more or less.
11. What can we expect from your concert as part of Progetto Positano at the Kesselhaus Kulturbrauerei?
Experience a very intense sonar entity, that hopefully is also fun and enjoyable.
