Shahrdad Rohani, also known as Shardad Rohani (Persian: شهرداد روحانی; born 27 May 1954),[1] is an Iranian-American composer, violinist/pianist, and conductor. His style is contemporary and he is well known for composing and conducting classical, instrumental, adult contemporary/new age, film soundtrack as well as pop music.[2] He was the principal conductor and music director of the Tehran Symphony Orchestra from 2016 to 2020.[3][4]
Shahrdad Rohani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Shardad Rohani |
| Born | 27 May 1954 Tehran, Iran |
| Origin | Iran; Wiener Musikakademie |
| Occupations | Composer, Conductor, Musician |
| Instruments | Violin, piano |
| Years active | 1973–present |
| Website | www |
Early life
editHe was born in 1954 in Tehran, Iran.[1] His father, Reza Rohani, was an accomplished musician and as a result, Shahrdad and all of his brothers including Anoushiravan Rohani and Ardeshir Rohani followed in their father's footsteps.[1] He began playing the piano at age 6, like many of his other brothers.[5] As a child, he was a student to a well-known Persian violinist, Ebrahim Rouhifar.[2] At age 10 he attended the Persian National Music Conservatory of Tehran.[2] By 1975, he was studying Composition and Orchestra Conducting at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna.[2] In 1984, Rohani moved to Los Angeles.
Musical career
edit
From 1987 until 1991, Rohani served as the music director and conductor of the Committee on the Arts (COTA) symphony orchestra in Los Angeles.[1][5] He has appeared as a guest conductor with several prestigious orchestras, including London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, Colorado Symphony Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, the American Youth Philharmonic Orchestras and many others.
Rohani arranged and conducted a sixty-piece orchestra to supplement Yanni's keyboard compositions during the Yanni Live at the Acropolis concert in 1993 —an open-air concert with the London Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra on the Acropolis, Athens, Greece.[5] Yanni Live at the Acropolis was acclaimed by both critics and audiences and became the most widely viewed program ever shown on Public Television in the United States and is the second best-selling music video of all time.[2]
In 1994, he became a US citizen.[5]
Rohani was commissioned in 1998 by the government of Thailand and the committee of the 13th Asian Games to compose and conduct the music for opening ceremonies. The composition became the most popular song of the Asian Games.[2]
Discography
editSolo albums
edit| Year | Notes | Solo album title |
|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Eternity | |
| 1994 | [6] | Beauty of Love, Journey to Romance |
| 1988 | [7] | Dream Images |
| 1990 | [8] | Rayahee |
| 1991 | Dance of Spring | |
| 1994 | [9] | The Winds of Christmas |
| 1994 | [10] | Encore in Ivory |
| 1995 | Impressions of Romance | |
| 1996 | Touch of Serenity, Volume 1 | |
| 1997 | The Winds of Christmas, Volume 2 | |
| 1998 | Cinema Passion | |
| 2014 | Persian Gulf Symphonic Suite |
Compilation and guest artist albums
edit| Year | Album title | Artist(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Live at the Acropolis | Yanni | The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was conducted by Shahrdad Rohani on this album |
| 1999 | The Private Years | Yanni | Box set |
| 2000 | River of Kings | Dej Bulsuk, London Symphony Orchestra, Shardad Rohani | [11] |
| 2000 | Sunrise in Bangkok | Dej Bulsuk, London Symphony Orchestra, Shardad Rohani | [12] |
| 2002 | Kingdom of Smiles | Dej Bulsuk, London Symphony Orchestra, Shardad Rohani | [13] |
| 2007 | Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker; Swan Lake; the Sleeping Beauty | Slovak Radio New Philharmonic Orchestra, Viktor Simcisko, Shardad Rohani | |
| 2009 | EclectSax | Douglas Masek, Shardad Rohani | |
| 2009 | Open Secret | Nahan Makon, Alireza Assar, London Symphonic Orchestra, Shardad Rohani | |
| 2013 | Dancing at the Opera | Various artists | |
| 2013 | Sinus Persicus Suite | London Symphony Orchestra, London Voices, Shardad Rohani | |
| 2013 | Born to be Thai | Dej Bulsuk, Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra, Shardad Rohani | [14] |
Awards
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d "Shahrdad Rohani: A Classical Musician with a Twist". IIP Digital. U.S. Department of State, US Embassy. Jan 12, 2009. Archived from the original on 2014-08-21. Retrieved Aug 19, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Shahrad Rohani, Know Him Better". WhatsUpIran.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ شهرداد روحانی رهبر ثابت ارکستر سمفونیک تهران شد [Hossein Rohani became the leader of Tehran Symphony Orchestra]. BBC Persian (in Persian). 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
- ^ "Conductor of Tehran Symphony Orchestra Shahrdad Rohani quits". 25 May 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Dallafar, Arlene (2001). Barkan, Elliott Robert (ed.). Making it in America: A Sourcebook on Eminent Ethnic Americans. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC, CLIO. pp. 320. ISBN 9781576070987.
- ^ "Shardad* - Beauty Of Love". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Shardad* - Dream Images". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ Bibian, Shani. "Rahaayee-Shardad Rohani". www.jaamejam.co.il. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Shardad Rohani - Winds Of Christmas". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Shardad Rohani - Encore On Ivory". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Dej Bulsuk, Shardad Rohani & Bangkok Symphony Orchestra - River Of Kings". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Dej Bulsuk, Shardad Rohani & The London Symphony Orchestra - Sunrise In Bangkok = อรุณรุ่งกรุงเทพฯ". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Dej Bulsuk, Shardad Rohani & The London Symphony Orchestra - Kingdom Of Smiles". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-04-15.
- ^ "Dej Bulsuk, Shardad Rohani & Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra - Born To Be Thai = เกิดเป็นไทย". Discogs. Retrieved 2018-04-15.