| Biography |
Nina Barzegar is an Iranian composer whose work spans concert music, film, and theater. Her music integrates a wide range of influences, blending traditional and contemporary musical ideas. Barzegar experiments with Persian musical figures and aesthetics, exploring their potential in combination with contemporary music elements. The New York Times has described her music as a “fusion of experimental, extended-technique effects, as well as melodic and chordal inventions.
Nina Barzegar is an Iranian composer, pianist/improviser, educator, and actress. She began her musical journey through Western classical music, a tradition that deeply influenced her early compositions. Over time, she developed a profound connection to her homeland’s musical heritage—Iranian classical music—which marked a turning point in her artistic evolution.
In recent years, Nina’s focus has shifted toward exploring and incorporating the rich traditions of Iranian music. The melodies, rhythms, and emotional depth of this heritage are now woven seamlessly into her compositions. Her diverse body of work encompasses concert music, film scores, and theater compositions.
She is a member of the Iranian Female Composers Association (IFCA) and has collaborated with leading performers and ensembles, including Yarn/Wire, the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Steven Schick, Del Sol Quartet, and others. Her works have been featured at festivals such as the Ojai Music Festival, Santa Cruz New Music Festival, and Cutting Edge New Music Festival.
As an actress and film composer, her work has appeared at international film festivals including the Uppsala International Short Film Festival, Film Festival Max Ophüls Preis, Split International Film Festival, and Sulmona International Film Festival.
She is currently a DMA candidate in composition at the University of California, Santa Cruz, studying with Ben Leeds Carson, Hi Kyung Kim, Matthew Schumaker, and Russell Rodriguez. She is one of the 2023 recipients of the California Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship and was recently awarded a full-year dissertation fellowship from the University of California.
Nina holds a bachelor’s degree in classical piano and a master’s degree in composition from the University of Tehran, where she studied with Gagik Babayan, Dilbar Hakimova, Azin Movahed, Alireza Mashayekhi, Kiawasch Sahebnassagh, Sara Abazari, and Nader Mashayekhi.
In addition to her compositional work, she has several years of experience teaching piano and has authored a two-volume piano training book. She is currently developing a new instructional piano book featuring arrangements of traditional Persian folk songs.