About

Showan Tavakol

A Canadian Iranian versatile musician, an accomplished Montreal-based composer specializing in the kamancheh and Iranian violin, bridges cultures through his transcultural perspective, seamlessly metamorphosing traditional world music influences into contemporary classical compositions.
Showan Tavakol
is a master of the kamancheh and Iranian violin, originally from Tehran, Iran. With a background in ethnomusicology and extensive studies in traditional and contemporary music, he has become a prominent composer and performer. Showan’s work features original compositions, film scores, and collaborations with various ensembles. Now based in Montreal, he continues to blend Iranian musical traditions with modern influences, creating unique and captivating music.

Biography

A Canadian Iranian versatile musician, an accomplished Montreal-based composer specializing in the kamancheh and Iranian violin, bridges cultures through his transcultural perspective, seamlessly metamorphosing traditional world music influences into contemporary classical compositions. His works have been performed in concerts across Europe, Asia, Africa, and North and South America. As a composer in Canada, he has collaborated with distinguished ensembles such as the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Molinari String Quartet, Bozzini String Quartet, l’Ensemble de musique contemporaine (EMC) et l’Orchestre de l’Université de Montréal (OUM), and l’OBAC. He has also composed for film and theater, notably for the film “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” (Cannes Film Festival, 2013), “Scenes of Extraction” (Berlinale Film Festival, 2023), and the theater “L du déluge” (Montreal, 2023).

As a performer, he has collaborated with different traditional world music (global music) ensembles for over 20 years and has been a soloist in several of his classical compositions. These include “Haamun,” his Concerto for Kamancheh and Symphony Orchestra, “Hologramme Modal,” his piece for Kamancheh and String Quartet, “Le Sifflet du Phénix,” his Double Concerto for Oud, Kamancheh, and String Orchestra, and “Heterotopia,” his piece for Kamancheh and Chamber Orchestra, performed in Montreal by the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne with him as the soloist. He has also participated in the recording of albums of his musical works in Iran, Germany, and Canada: “Epiphenomenon,” “Parallax View,” “On Trolley of Time,” and “Suge Sarv.” Additionally, the album “Echo of the Mountains,” his co-composition for Duo Perse-Inca, showcases contemporary world music and was published by Analekta in Canada.

Showan holds a bachelor’s degree in music and a master’s degree in Kamancheh Performance from Tehran University. In Quebec, Canada, he obtained a master’s degree (2017) in Music Composition from the University of Montréal, where he also received his Doctorate (2024) in Music Composition and Sound Creation. He is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre, a member of SOCAN, the Canadian League of Composers, and a professor of Kamancheh and Violin at Centre des Musiciens du Monde in Montréal. He is the recipient of several awards and scholarships, including the 2nd prize in composition at the Prix collégien de musique contemporaine 2019 (Quebec), the 3rd prize in composition at the Classic Pure Vienna International Music Competition 2019 (Austria), winner of the OUM composition competition (2021), the Superior Perra & Cholette Scholarship (2021), and the OICRM-ESP Doctoral Scholarship (2022).

Discography

Latest album released in
2023 “Epiphenomenon"
Parallax view
Kamalto 1( viola & voice) one track
Kamalto 2 ( viola solo) one track
Duo Perse-Inca - Échos des montagnes
Showan Tavakol - deluge for choir

Upcoming Concerts

1

JULY 2024

Coming soon
1

JULY2024

Coming soon

Videos

Contemporary classical compositions

Concerto for bassoon & Orchestra
Hologramme modal for string quartet &kamancheh( composition et
Kamancheh:Showan Tavakol, 2023
Prix Collégien de Musique Contemporaine, Finalist Piece, 2019-2020
Duduk au sanglot for Solo Oboe
Synechisme for Cello
Kamalto I. Showan Tavakol, Kimia Hesabi (viola), Lori Sen (voice), USA Premiere, Maryland
Kamalto II. Showan Tavakol, Kimia Hesabi (viola), Solo, Album of Nemano Gaona

SOLO PROJECT ( KAMANCHEH)

Solo Kamancheh, épopée de Simorgh, Église de Perse, France
Kamancheh solo project,
صفیر سیمرغ
Composer and performer, World Music Ensemble

Composer and performer for world music ensemble

Gushe be Meikhaneh, Urmawi Ensemble, Église Notre-Dame de Bon Secours
Kurdish Project, Kurdish Lullaby “Lay Lay,” arrangements by Showan Tavakol, Eléonore Fourniau, Ensemble Kamaan, 5e Salle de Place des Arts
Baluchi, a multidisciplinary performance, Oscar Peterson Hall. Arranged for harp, cello, kamancheh, santour, rabab, and percussions.
Paykargard, arranged for viola, santour, rabab, and kamancheh

Composition for Film and theatre and dance

Composition for choir à cappella, Théâtre L du Déluge (2023)

Composition for “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” by Mohammad Rasoulof (2013)

Composition for “Scenes of Extraction” by Sanaz Sohrabi (2023)

Électroacoustic pieces

False translation
La vie symptomaatique

More

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©2024 Showan Tavakol. Heda Art Agency All Rights Reserved.
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