Closing concert of the Virtual Brass Academy with 3-minute world premieres by the participating composers
Parsa Zandi – Introspection I (2025)
for bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Raphaëlle Aoun– évolution fabriquée (2025)
for contraforte, horn, trumpet and trombone
Eda Er – Submerged Disco (2025)
for horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Christoffer Håård – Knallerbsen (2025)
for horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Sandra Boss – Let Me Eat You (2025)
for horn, trombone and tuba
Break
Alireza Seyedi – Widerspruch (2025)
for horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Kyungjin Lim – ernsT ist das leBen (2025)
for bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Yifan Guo – Eight Seas (2025)
for horn, trumpet, trombone and euphonium
Nigar Suleyman – a short piece about the last human breath (2025)
for horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Aaron Zimmer – Of an Unwelcome Stillness (2025)
for bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Break
Tianyu Zou – Étude for Amplified Trumpet and Electronics(2025)
for trumpet solo
Klara Mlakar – Tell Me a Secret (2025)
for horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Alisa Kobzar – architect of lies (2025)
for bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Hannah A. Barnes – in perpetuum (fragment) (2025)
for horn, trumpet and trombone
Eunhye Joo – Eine kleine Wunderkerze (2025)
for bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba
Ronan Whittern, bassoon
Christine Chapman, horn
Marco Blaauw, trumpet
Stephen Menotti, trombone
Maxime Morel, tuba
Parsa Zandi was born in 2004 in Tehran, Iran. He studied composition with Mohammad H. Javaheri, Karen Keyhani, and Armin Sanayei in Iran. At the age of 17, he was accepted at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz, Austria and studied composition with Beat Furrer for two years. Now he is currently studying under the supervision of Annesley Black. Parsa has had composition classes with composers such as Franck Bedrossian, Clemens Gadenstätter, Klaus Lang, Pierluigi Billone, Iris ter Schiphorst, Johannes Maria Staud, Chaya Czernowin, Samir Odeh Tamimi, and Mathias Hinke. His music has been performed by such ensembles as Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Zeitfluss, Ensemble für Neue Musik, and Roadrunner Trio in Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, USA, Canada and Spain.
Christoffer Håård is an Oslo-based composer of contemporary music. His music can often be characterized by an exploration of musical spaces between the vulnerable and the banal, where fragile and unstable ranging to abrasive sounds are allowed to live, breath, develop and die out – as well as playful musical idioms, displaying great naïveté, exist in juxtaposition.
Born 1997 in Jönköping, Sweden. Since 2023, he has been enrolled in the Master’s program in composition at the Norwegian Academy in Oslo where he also completed his Bachelor’s studies. Prior to that, he studied at the Gotland School of Composition (Visby, Sweden) in the pre-bachelor program. Additionally, he spent one year as an ERASMUS exchange student at the Carl Maria von Weber Hochschule für Musik in Dresden, Germany. His previous composition teachers include, among others, Asbjørn Schaathun, Eivind Buene, Mark Andre, Trond Reinholdtsen, Stefan Prins, Per Mårtensson, having also received tutorage and masterclasses from Chaya Czernowin, Manos Tsangaris, George Lewis, Carola Bauckholt, and Lisa Streich among others.
Sandra Boss is a Danish-based composer and performer working in the field between instrumental music, electronics, installation and performance. Her compositional tone of voice is distinctly explorative with a strong interest in the timbral potentials of instruments. An important element within her work is the physical dialogue with instruments where the instruments are bent through external objects or modifications.
Sandra Boss has a background in classical music and has later studied electronic music at The Royal Academy of Music in Denmark. She also holds an artistic-based PhD on sound art from The University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Alireza Seyedi, a composer born in 2001, represents the new generation of contemporary music in Iran. Traces of traditional music and regional music of Iran, interwoven into the fabric of contemporary music, are evident in his works. This presence is sometimes clear and tangible, and at other times, highly abstract and profound. The influence of electronic music composition culture is always apparent in his works, whether through the direct presence of electronics or by drawing inspiration from its compositional approaches.
He works with sounds as if they were diverse colors on a painter’s palette, carefully observing the relationships between them and resolving them within his mental forms and structures. These cohesive and intricate structures shape his compositions, carving the piece out like a sculpture emerging from a massive block of stone.
Seyedi is an undergraduate music student in Tehran. His works have gained recognition at various festivals and events, including Mixtur Barcelona, the Spectro New Music Center Competition, the Horizon Étendu Composition Academy scholarship, Unerhörte Musik Berlin, the Alfred Schnittke International Composition Competition in Lviv, the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), the Tehran International Electronic Music Festival (TIEMF 2024), the Semaine Internationale de la Musique Électroacoustique & de la Créativité, and the Contemporary Music Laboratory at the European University Cyprus and others.
Kyungjin Lim was born in 1991 in Seoul, South Korea. He took his basic musical training in the subjects of piano, music theory and composition from Ms. Sunhee Cho. From 2011 to 2015, he studied composition with Prof. Kyungmee Rhee at the Hanyang University (Collage of Music). From 2018 to 2021 he studied composition (Master of Music) at the HfMDK Mannheim with Prof. Sidney Corbett.
He worked with various ensembles and orchestras, included the Ensemble, for example, Ensemble SONOR XXI, Ensemble DCMF, Ensemble TIMF, Ensemble E-MEX, Two Button Brass, Ensemble Mosaic, Ensemble Resonanz, Motocontrario Ensemble, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Chungbuk Philharmoniker, National Hungarian Radio Orchestra, Symphoniker Hamburg, and the Symphony Orchestra TonArt Heidelberg. In 2019, he received a composition commission from the “Städtische Bühnen gGmbH Osnabrück” for his first opera “Das Ebenbild”, which had premiered as part of “Spieltreibe 8” in 2019 by the Osnabrück Theater. He also received the publishing house award in the 1st Impronta Ensemble composition competition. His works are published by Impronta Edition UG and Babelscores. Mr. Lim took part in numerous master classes and festivals such as the DCMF (Korea), Composition Masterclass Synthesis (Poland), SCBA (Sweden), Impuls Festival (Austria), She Lives (Hungary), IDEA (Rome) or the Darmstadt Summer Course for New Music (Germany), where his pieces had also performed.
Since 2015, he is a general music director of Ensemble SONOR XXI and has been studying composition (Konzertexamen) at the HfMT Hamburg with Prof. Gordon Kampe since 2023.
Yifan Guo is a Chinese composer, performer, and intermedia artist who specializes in the innovative exploration of multidimensional music perception experiences, employing both sonic and non-sonic elements in performance. Embracing a range of compositional practices from music theater to acoustic music, electro-acoustic music, sound installation, and intermedia performance, Guo seeks to contribute to the innovative landscape of stage works.
Supported by institutions such as UC San Diego, Yu Long Studio, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Opera House, Parkland Foundation, and AEP-CHINA. Guo’s artistic endeavors have graced renowned festivals and venues across East Asia, the Middle East, North America, and Europe. Highlights include performances at festivals such as Beijing Music Festival (China), Ticino Musica Festival (Switzerland), Festival Mixtur (Spain), Le Domaine Forget de Charlevoix (Canada), June in Buffalo (USA), and venues such as David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, National Sawdust, Qualcomm Institute (USA), Château de Fontainebleau (France), Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall, and the Guangzhou Opera House (China), amongst others.
Recent projects include Dancing to My Shadow, commissioned by the Guangzhou Opera House (concert version and 90-min theater version, commissioned by the Guangzhou Opera House), as well as A String-infused Sonic Activity, a portrait concert, and Listen to Your Inner Ape, a theater scoring commissioned by the Drum Tower West Theatre Company.
Guo’s collaborative efforts extend to esteemed ensembles such as the JACK Quartet, Arditti Quartet, Quatuor Diotima, Ensemble l’Itinéraire, PinkNoise Ensemble, Alinéa Ensemble, Vertixe Sonora Ensemble, Ensemble Dal Niente, Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble, Ensemble Paramaribo, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra, and International Chamber Orchestra of America, as well as renowned artists like percussionist Steven Schick and Yongyun Zhang, multimedia artist Shihua Ma, flutist Xiaoyu Lin, clarinetist Vasko Dukovski, violin virtuoso Ruifeng Lin, pianist Han Chen, double bass virtuoso Bowen Qian, soprano Tony Arnold, computer music researcher Zehao Wang and Han Zhang, and lighting designer Shee Hoe Low, among others.
As an advocate for contemporary music and music technology, Guo shares his expertise through lectures and workshops at institutions such as the Sichuan Conservatory of Music, Xinghai Conservatory of Music, South China Normal University, East China Normal University, and the Guangzhou DaoHe Institute. He also teaches regularly at the X-Institute in Shenzhen.
Earned degrees from Mannes School of Music (B.M. with honors) and New England Conservatory of Music (M.M.), Yifan Guo is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of California, San Diego, under the guidance of Michelle Lou. He has also received mentorship from Huang Ruo, Stratis Minakakis, John Maillia, Kaija Saariaho, Jean-Baptiste Barrière, Lei Liang, Marcos Balter, Rand Steiger, and Chaya Czernowin. In conducting, he has been mentored by Daye Lin, Bill Drury, and David Hayes. Guo’s creative works have been recognized with awards such as the Prix Marion Tournon Branly, the Carl Schachter Award, Ise-Shima International Composition Prize, and the finalist of 11th Mivos/Kanter String Quartet Composition Prize.
Nigar Suleyman was born in Azerbaijan in 1999. She studied composition at Baku Music Academy and Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre and has written compositions for solo piano, piano trio, string quartet, chamber orchestra, and symphonic orchestra. She has worked with Azerbaijan State Symphonic Orchestra, Cadenza Contemporary Orchestra, and Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble. She has won first prize at the WBM competition (Poland, 2024), first prize in the “Stars’ project” (Russia, 2015), and second place prize at the International Jazz Festival (Azerbaijan, 2019). She received a diploma in “Nizami-romance”(Azerbaijan, 2021) and has participated in seminars with composers such as Alexander Khubeev, Einnike Leppik, Anton Safronov, and Tammo Summer. Festivals she has participated in have included the Uzeyir Hajibeyli festival (Azerbaijan), Uudislooming festival (Estonia), and the 14th International Tchaikovsky festival (Russia). She has also worked with movie directors that led to composing scores for over ten short movies and two TV series.
Aaron Zimmer is a composer dedicated to crafting meaningful and meditative musical experiences. His compositions, performed by ensembles like ICE, JACK Quartet, and Musikfabrik, explore sound, time, and place. As co-founder of Bent Wrench, he champions new music by commissioning innovative works. Also an accomplished performer and audio engineer, Aaron records classical artists in LA, DC, and Baltimore. He holds an M.M. in Composition from Peabody and is pursuing a master’s in Recording Arts.
Tianyu Zou, is a music producer, and composer who primarily engages with sound, performance, installation, and multimedia practices.
In recent years, his projects have been featured at festivals, including Liminal (Salzburg), Rümlingen, and the Lucerne Festival.
Klara Mlakar (b. 1999) is a Germany-based Slovenian composer who delves into the human voice and the subtle musical structures and capabilities of instruments. Recurring motifs in her music include an exploration of perception and understanding, as well as a contemplation of the sublime. Her inspiration often draws from diverse sources, including visual arts, poetry and psychology. She has collaborated with numerous renowned ensembles and organizations, including Ensemble Recherche, Slowind Ensemble, Pony Says Trio, Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe and the Chamber String Orchestra of the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra among others. Her pieces have been featured at prestigious festivals, including ZeitGenuss, R!SK, the Ljubljana New Music Forum, the Taiwan International New Music Festival and the Biennale Chor Aachen. She is pursuing a Soloist Exam in composition at the Karlsruhe University of Music (Germany), where she previously completed her master’s degree under the guidance of Prof. Markus Hechtle and Prof. h.c. Dr. Wolfgang Rihm. She earned her bachelor’s degree in composition and music theory at the Ljubljana Academy of Music (Slovenia) in the class of Prof. Vito Žuraj.
Alisa Kobzar (*1989, Ukraine) is a composer, multimedia artist, and teacher. A 2014 graduate of the Kyiv National Music Academy, she has lived in Graz, Austria, since 2018, studying Computer Music and Sound Art at the University of Music and Performing Arts. Her multidisciplinary works blend electronic music and sound art and have been performed worldwide. In 2019, she co-founded the duo rotkäppchen with Lisa Mc Guire, focusing on interactive multimedia compositions. In 2024, she was awarded the Austrian State Scholarship for Composition. More information at alisakobzar.mur.at.
Hannah A Barnes is a Montréal-based composer, conductor, and performer. Her compositional interests center around thorny harmonies, idiosyncratic and off-kilter materials, and rhizomatic structures. She is concerned with crafting complex music that emphasizes the tension between strict control and austerity and unbridled chaos and expression. Collaboration is essential to her compositional practice.
She is currently pursuing a DMus in composition at McGill University after completing Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in composition with distinction from DePaul University.
Eunhye Joo (*1996, Seoul) studied composition at Hanyang University College of Music and graduated with distinction in 2019. She studied with Prof. Sidney Corbett and graduated with a Master’s degree at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Mannheim. Since 2023 she has been studying composition (Konzertexamen) at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg with Prof. Gordon Kampe.
She was elected to the 28th Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival (South Korea), the Chamber Session of the Darmstadt Summer Music Festival 2018 (Germany), the 46th ISCM Pan-Music Festival (South Korea), the Synthesis Final Concert 2019(Poland), She-lives masterclass Final Concert 2019 (Hungary), reMusik 8th Saint-Petersburg International New Musik Festival (Russia), Stockholm Chamber Brass Academy 2021(Sweden), Anlässlich des 100-Jährigen Jubiläums des Musikwissenschaftlichen Seminars der Universität Heidelberg (Germany), Mannheim City of Music Festival (Germany), Neukölln Originaltöne Festival 2021, 2022 (Germany), Klangwerkstatt Berlin Festival für Neue Musik 2021, 2022 (Germany), Randspiele Zepernick 2022 (Germany), the 32th Daegu International Contemporary Music Festival (South Korea), 3. International Composer’s Workshop 2021/22 Presentation Concert by AsianArt Ensemble (Germany), the International Young Composers Academy Ticino 2022 (Switzerland), Ciel Academy 2022(France), Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele 2023 (Germany), New music week 2023(Italy), Saxofon+ of the Darmstadt Summer Music Festival 2023 (Germany), and the Akademie Kontemporar 2023 (Germany).
Her work was performed by Ensemble SONOR XXI, Ensemble Eins, Ensemble Via Nova, Ensemble Hashtag, Ensemble Impronta, Ensemble Recherche, Munich Tetra Brass Ensemble, Georg Katzer Ensemble Berlin, IEMA Alumni Ensemble, AsianArt Ensemble, Sinfonieorchester TonArt Heidelberg, Les Percussions de Strasbourg, Ensemble Linea, mdi ensemble, and Ensemble Ascolta.
Since 2018, she has been resident composer of Ensemble SONOR XXI.