Ramin Roshandel is a composer and setarist. His composition has been described by Josh Levine as “Brutally Persian,” and his performance on the setar has been considered “Masterful” by Huntley Dent in Fanfare Magazine.
He was awarded the University of Iowa Digital Scholarship and Publishing Studio summer scholarship, and University of Iowa Libraries Academic Enrichment Award. His compositions have been performed by Benjamin Coelho, Anna Elder, Nicole Esposito, Will Fried, Daniel Schreiner, The JACK Quartet, University of Iowa Center for New Music Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Kamratōn Ensemble, and LIGAMENT duo. His compositions have been either featured or performed in Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS), NYC Electroacoustic Improvisation Summit, Summer Institute for Contemporary Music Practice (SICPP), New Music On the Point, MOXSonic, TurnUp Multimedia Festival, and Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project’s Summer Sounds. Roshandel was the setar soloist of Jean-François Charles’ opera, Grant Wood in Paris, in its premiere.
He has two analytical papers about Hossein Alizadeh’s Neynavā and Elliott Carter’s Dialogues that are published in Persian journals. Ramin’s collaborative album with Jean-François Charles, Jamshid Jam, was nominated in the World Music and Crossover Productions categories of Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik (German Record Critics’ Award). Jamshid Jam has also received the Global Music Awards Silver Medal for Outstanding Achievement.
Ramin holds a PhD in Music Composition from the University of Iowa and is currently a visiting assistant professor of composition and music theory at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois.
Photos: Courtesy of Andy Yau, Auden-Lincoln-Vogel, and Alice Chang