Music
Press
Another engaging artist, Amiri took time between songs to explain the history of his instrument—the santour, which is often mistakenly called a hammered dulcimer, - allaboutjazz.com
Amir Amiri is one of the most exciting and diverse musicians in Canada today - Scene
When Isobel Rolston, then director of the Music & Sound residency program, received an application from an Iranian musician named Amir Amiri in 1996 - Banff Centre
A contemporary dance piece, it features music by acclaimed Iranian-Canadian composer and santour player Amir Amiri. - Fast Forward
Amir Amiri’s original score adds atmosphere and mood to the play. Amiri, originally from Iran, brings his mastery of classical Persian music to Helen’s Necklace with cymbals, an udo drum and a classical eastern instrument called the santur. He says he will not be playing the 72-stringed instrument in a traditional fashion, instead using it to create certain sound effects. “I wanted to create a sonic palette with various themes and stay true to the scenes,” he says.
Amiri carries the play’s theme of barriers even to the placement of his instruments. “Everything that has to do with the West is on one side, and everything to do with the East is on the other,” he explains. “It’s amazing what creating physical boundaries can do, and then have them come together in the final melody.”
Amiri philosophizes a bit on what differentiates the music of the East and West. “It's all about the musical intervals,” he explains. “In the West, you have a lot of space, but in the East, in places like Iran and India, there is no space. That’s reflected in the music.” - FFW weekly
Amir And lilng - FFWD
Discography
403
Dohnava
Chandseda
Lambda
Photos
Bio
Amir Amiri was born in Tehran, Iran where much of his youth was spent studying the santur, a 72-string hammer dulcimer that lies at the heart of Persian classical music. He also studied Indian classical music with some of the masters, including Ravi Shankar and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. While he is classically trained, Amiri has always sought to explore the limits of his music, stretching beyond the constraints of classical thought. Arriving in Canada in 1996, Amiri found the ability to do just that, while in residency at The Banff Centre for the Arts, a haven of inspiration to which he has returned many times. While exploring the limits of his music, he has found that there are none.
Amiri has worked with Bob Becker, Edgar Meyer and David Takeno as well as jazz greats Hugh Fraser, Darcy Phillip Gray, Mike Murly, John Stetch and Bill Cahn. Amiri has worked extensively as a percussionist, composer, musical director and consultant for numerous Canadian dance and theatre companies, most notably Alberta Ballet, VIA Dance Ensemble, Lu Lu Dance Productions, Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, McDonald Wilson Dance Company, University of Calgary Dance Program, The Banff Centre Theatre Arts Program, Manitoba Theatre for Young People, and Vertigo Theatre in Alberta and Quebec. He has composed and performed orchestral works for santur and various instrumentation, has self-produced his own concert series called “The Tehran Project” and has considerable experience in film and TV – most notably performing on the soundtracks for “Lord of the Rings” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”. In 2003, Amiri was awarded Artist of the Year from CBC Galaxie Rising Stars. In 2008, he won “Outstanding Sound Design” at the Betty Mitchell Awards for the production of “Helen’s Necklace”.
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