Saman Samadi
Saman Samadi (born 1984) is a Persian avant-garde composer and pianist residing in New York City. He is currently on the faculty at LaGuardia Community College, City University of New York.
Biography
Samadi has written works including large-scale orchestral works, chamber music for various combinations, solo instruments, and electro-acoustic music. His music has been performed and recorded by Miranda Cuckson, Austin Wulliman, Linda Wetherill, Anthony Izzo, Kristin Samadi, ensemble ECHO, LX saxophone quartet, Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra, Jaram Kim, Erika Dohi, Laura Smith, Dan Keene, and Behnam Mousavi. Samadi's works have been presented at Lincoln Center, Spectrum NYC, The Firehouse Space, Abrons Arts Center, LeFrak Concert Hall at The Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College CUNY, Scholes Street Studio, ShapeShifter Lab, Harvestworks, Drawing Room, Culture Fix, Sky Gallery, ABC No Rio, W10 Music and Performing Arts Center, Staller Center for the Arts at Stony Brook University, Museum of modern art André Malraux (MuMa) in Le Havre, Avini Hall at The College of Fine Arts UT, and Roudaki Hall. He has also collaborated with Hans Tammen and Blaise Siwula for various improvisatory performances. Samadi has published six albums including Microtonal Piano Solos, Shekasteh Mouyeh, U-Turn, Āpām Napāt, Chamrosh, Nostalgia. Samadi’s music has been influenced by the “New Complexity”. He developed his own unique style which entails a new system of pitch organization that uses microtones from traditional Persian music, improvisation, complex poly-rhythms, and heterophonic texture. In addition, Samadi improvises on the piano which has had a great impact on his compositions. He is also a Baritone and uses traditional Persian techniques in his singing. Samadi is also an artist who has used oil painting and photography as his medium. Samadi is the director and co-founder of SAMADIS' which organizes an annual international composition competition and concert series. Also, Samadis’ records is a contemporary classical music record label based in New York City.
Samadi holds a diploma in Mathematics from NODET (National Organization for Development of Exceptional Talents). During his studies for B.A. in Music Performance and M.A. in Composition at the University of Tehran, he worked with Alireza Mashayekhi. Samadi was offered a full scholarship for his Ph.D. studies in composition at the State University of New York, in 2013. During his time there he studied with Daria Semegen. In 2015, the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) awarded Samadi an Artist Diploma in Multimedia and Performing Arts. His work “Magnapinna in Abdomen of a Newborn” was chosen to be premiered at the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, in June 2014. His composition “Paj” won first prize for the 2012 Counterpoint-Italy International Composition Competition. In 2009, Samadi won an award for one of his chamber music compositions at the 24th Fajr International Music Festival.
Samadi was also the director and conductor of Concentus Orchestra from 2006-2009. The repertoire consisted of baroque and contemporary works which included some of his own compositions. Most recently Samadi has taken on film scoring for international independent films. He also served as the assistant to Dr. Sandra Sprecher, director of the contemporary music venue The Firehouse Space in Brooklyn, New York, from 2013 to 2017. Samadi is currently on the faculty at City University of New York's LaGuardia Community College; the Music School of New York City; as well as the Piano School of NYC.
List of works
- Scheherazade, Saxophone Quartet No.2 — 2017
- Nostalgia, An electroacoustic album including five pieces - Samadis’ Records Released: November 7, 2016
- Ghorbat
- Berceuses
- Vāyu
- Retroception
- Hura
- Chamrosh, Works for Saxophone - Samadis’ Records Released: April 1, 2016
- Chamrosh, for Tenor Saxophone
- IVcomplex No.1, for Alto Saxophone and Piano
- IVcomplex No.2, for Saxophone Quartet
- Before Your Very Eyes, for Saxophone and Piano
- Apām Napāt, An electroacoustic album including sixteen pieces - piano, reeds, buchla - Samadis’ Records Released: February 27, 2016
- Ap
- Asha
- Daeva
- Yima
- Ariyāramna
- Vivanhant
- Haoma
- Verethragna
- Yasna
- Apām Napāt
- Anahita
- Hauruuatāt
- Ahura
- Manu
- Zahhak
- Mithra
- Shekasteh Mouyeh, An electroacoustic album including nine pieces, Samadis’ Records Released: February 23, 2015
- Frenzied
- Shattered Mourning
- Injustice
- Desolation
- Ramkali
- Zenith
- Dissident
- Dashtestani
- Satori
- U-Turn, An electroacoustic album including five pieces, Samadis’ Records Released: March 14, 2015
- Palm Plate, for Dozaleh, Piano, Tape and Live Electronics (2014)
- Amiri, for Electronics (2012)
- Ghost Train, for Electronics (2010)
- Magnapinna in Abdomen of a Newborn, for Electronics and video (2012)
- U-Turn, for Electronics and video (2011)
- Microtonal Piano Solos, An album including eleven pieces as a set, Samadis’ Records Released: January 7, 2015
- Oracle
- Solitude
- Sisyphus
- Annica
- Perception
- Madman
- Satire
- Existence
- Deprivation
- Magnetic
- Subjectivity
- Teryan, for Violin and Piano — 2014
- Persia 1909, for Chamber Ensemble — 2014
- Panj, for Orchestra — 2013
- Gulhannai, for Piano — 2013
- Tears' Scratch, for Violin duo — 2012
- La Nausée, for Piano — 2012
- Sound and Fury, for Chamber Orchestra — 2012
- Paj, for Flute and Piano — 2011
- Bazzad, for Violin and Symphony Orchestra — 2011
- Symphony in Three Movements, for Large Orchestra — 2009
- Impromptu, for Piano — 2008
- Wine, for Piano — 2008
- Eastern Rhapsody, for Piano — 2008
- Sonatina, for Piano — 2008
- Fog & Fugue, for Guitar — 2007
- Foolish, for Chamber Orchestra — 2007
- Camisado, for Chamber Orchestra — 2007
- Is This the World We Created...?, for Alto, Baritone, Choir, and Orchestra — 2007 Duet for Horn and Piano, for Horn and Piano — 2007
- Nausea, for Orchestra — 2007
- A Piece for Violin and Orchestra — 2007
- Two Nights, for Oboe, Horn, Violin, Cello, and Piano — 2007
- Psycho, for String Orchestra — 2006